Eminem’s Shady Records has a consistent line of lyrical rappers, but Boogie brings something different to the table. In “Everything’s for Sale,” Boogie is rapping behind beautiful and melodic instrumental beats.
The album’s first song “Tired/Reflections” introduces a smooth jazz instrumental with Boogie rapping about how hard it is being a young black artist in this generation. It then adds a subtle trap beat behind it, which then leads to Boogie having a conversation with his girlfriend.
Next, the album goes into the song “Silent Ride” which includes another introspective beat that flows really well with Boogie’s rapping. In the second verse of the song, Boogie talks about his car ride with his girlfriend taking an immediate turn when his girlfriend sees some of his texts that indicate he’s cheating.
“Soho” is one of the few bangers that touches on the topic of forced friendships. This track has everything from an amazing trap beat to an impressive feature by J.I.D. Both rappers explain this topic well, by mentioning fame and fortune with how it has influenced them.
“Live 95” provides an old school R&B vibe, with Boogie talking about how his fame is leading to temptation. Boogie also talks about how his previous relationships went sour because of the fame that he received.
“Rainy Days” is the most controversial song on this album, according to social media outlets, because of Eminem’s subpar verse. Instead of providing a different insight on the term “rainy days”, Eminem just puts random analogies together.
His most notable lyric is “Like a shepherd havin' sex with his sheep, f*** what you heard” which is one of the funniest lyrics of 2019 so far, rather than a good feature. However, the rest of the song is pretty enjoyable with beat switches and Boogie talking about his current position in hip-hop during his verse.
“Self-destruction” was the first single of this album and with Boogie’s current label, Shady Records. This song talks about how Boogie is being conscious of what he’s doing while losing focus at the same time. The hook on this song does nothing for the track but takes up space, an issue Boogie has on the entire album.
His lyricism can go from really good to subpar, which is disappointing considering how strong the album starts. He could also benefit from having more songs like “Rainy Days” and “Soho” that display his complexity and how he can rap with different artists, like J.I.D and Eminem.
“Everything’s for Sale” can sound draining at times, with most beats slowing to the point of becoming uninteresting. Overall, Boogie does well with his first album, showcasing what he can bring to the table as an artist for Shady Records. However, this album also shows that he has areas to improve in. 3/5
