Review Summary: Obscure, rare, intelligent hip hop with southern country vibes
Modern hip hop is one great big ball of *** with a couple diamonds somewhere in the middle. It can be months or even years before a diamond shoots out of someone’s anus. And in this wasteland of mumble rappers and other imbeciles, one must dig into the crates and rediscover the wisdom of the sages.
Enter Bubba Sparxxx. A sage emcee who decided to name himself like a porn star. He’s fat. He’s white. He has a country accent. He’s from Georrrrrgia! But he uses hip hop slang. And he’s just here for a hella rootin’ tootin’ good time, G’dammit.
And although he’s a walking oxymoron, Bubba the country rapper is one of the few white rappers to have success during Eminem’s heyday. His first two albums went platinum and gold, respectively, and came out in 2001 and 2003. But after his third album was released in 2006, substance abuse caused an almost decade long hiatus before Bubba’s fourth album, which flopped. This fourth album featured a distinctly pop-country sound which Bubba thankfully abandoned here.
Bubba was able to survive the atomic bomb that was Eminem and was able to make a goofy style work. Despite struggling to find an identity and a consistent sound, Bubba’s lyrics are consistently among hip hop’s best. Advanced lyricism, however, is about all Eminem and Bubba have in common. Bubba prefers a voice and style that is calming. His lyrics are personal and genuine — there is no violent Slim Shady alter ego. It’s just good ol’ Bubba, baby.
If you think that all sounds absurd it’s because it is. This style has rarely if ever been done well. I am no fan of country music myself, or even country-rap. But this album is a diamond in a dung hill.
Ok I still don’t have you hooked? Still skeptical about country rap? Well, what if I told you that Bubba lost touch with the producer that made him famous? Would that be something you might like to hear?
Well, despite all the prejudices and cringey feelings you have against this type of artist, it miraculously works. What sounds on paper like it should be the clumsiest knitting together of two incompatible styles… works. It works because the styles are meshed together masterfully by a music aficionado familiar with both genres. And it incredibly worked in 2016 just as well as it did on Bubba’s standout freshman and sophomore albums decades ago.
The album works because it knows what it’s trying to achieve and it achieves it. This is a 5 song EP. This is not the time to go play messiah like John Lennon on “Imagine” and try to save the world with a bunch of communist cliches. This is the time to remind people who you are, display your talent, and give them 3-4 good tracks they will keep in their playlist.
Bubba proves he can do this immediately with a good track: Ghost. The track is mildly annoying because it sounds a bit like a rant against people who have forgotten or disrespected him. But the production and lyrical skill can’t be ignored. Eerie supernatural and spiritual vibes haunt the song. Bubba’s deep religiosity reveals itself through sound. The puns and folkish limericks mesh smoothly with the trademarked up-tempo flow that is mildly reminiscent of Big Boy of Outkast. The style is distinctly new, imitating the worst mumble melodies that modern rap has to offer. But it is all distinctly Bubba: witty, well crafted, meaningful.
The highlight song YGMFU features a looped guitar note and is the best country hip hop beat since Bubba Sparxxx’s own “Deliverance,” produced by Timbaland. The drum tempo on YGMFU slows down Bubba’s flow and he shines with down to earth lyrics and impeccable rhythm. His voice pairs with the guitar notes masterfully, never cutting him off, echoing each of his rhymes, making you feel like you’re on a porch in Georgia with Bubba. Drinking a beer. *** yeah. Roll tide!
But the real highlight of the track is Yelawolf’s impecable hook. His Chad voice mixes euphorically with relaxing country-style lyrics about smoking your problems away in a Chevy. He knows the tenets of country rap so well that he makes it work.
And, Yellawolf makes it work again on “Put in Work” with another outstanding, smooth, rhythmic hook. (“Be the last one to bed, and the first with my shovel in dirt. I put in work… ima rock til I drop to the earth. And it’s family first. So when the birds chirp, I’m at work.”)
The hook kills but this time it’s mostly Bubba’s own witty raps that steal the show (“trying to get it 40 hours every week, baby! Working? Nah. That’s what I get in sleep, maybe. Big maybe. But I tell you I really appreciated when my daddy told me ‘son it’s ok to be lazy. ‘Long as you don’t mind table scraps at supper time. If you ok with that, just take a nap, yeah just recline.’”)
On the last track “Ain’t No Way,” Bubba continues to adapt his style to more modern tastes. His mumbly flow here almost sounds like a Migos song, but the lyrics on closer inspection are clear and insightful. While having a basic trap sound, the track excels in a similar way to Rick Ross’s best work. The subject matter is surprisingly intriguing, admirable, and exciting: (“I put in my heart and my soul, my guts and my nuts. But going all in and winnin’ is such a big rush!”)
As the album nears its end, the hook reminds us that Bubba is not done. This album is a reminder that modern hip hop is hard to delve into but it has its strong moments. Those moments are most often found in obscure albums by established, older rap artists with a chip on their shoulder. Bubba epitomizes this kind of veteran with this comeback EP. And you won’t find many of them on the radio anymore. Ya gotta dig.
Ignore him, mock him, love him — it doesn’t matter to Bubba. He won’t slow down regardless of how many listeners he has. After having his career defined by the ***ty but viral single “Miss New Booty,” and after ten years lost to substance abuse, Bubba is eager to rededicate himself to the craft that made him everything, and which he is nothing without. His ambition is unstoppable. The whole world has gone crazy, but he is proving to himself he belongs among some of hip hop and country’s greatest artists. He may never receive the acclaim or financial success he feels he deserves but he is willing to prove his skill for anyone who cares. He is not Mr. New Booty, he is Bubba Mathis and he demands respect entirely through skill.
