Getting 3 different hip hop artists on ONE song and having all of them complementing each other in style, flow, and lyricism is damn near insuperable. Honest, the latest release by Bumbl B, features a melodic rap line along with a touching message while flaunting extraordinary confidence. It’s a track to be noted, listened, and shared as it also takes us back to the early 2010s fun rap, when we had 2 Chainz, Flo Rida, Kanye West, J Cole leading the charts.
Honest starts off with a couple of seconds of instrumental only, having multiple synth layers on top of each other, giving off an ample sound atmosphere (think Swimming Pools by Kendrick Lamar). It is a rather uncommon beat trait if you think of the number ones at the moment (uhm… WAP?!) that are heavily simplistic and rely 60% on the vocals only. Big thumbs up for the daring move Bumbl B!
Then we are led straight into the hook, “I’m just gon’ be honest ooh/ We ain’t really f*cking with ya/ I’m just gon’ be honest ooh/ Fam’ been riding with us/ I’m just gon’ be honest ooh/ Ain’t nobody f*cking with us/ I’m just gon’ be honest ooh/ The game ain’t the same without us”, which is extremely catchy, insta-likable, and carries a tinge of nostalgia and that just makes it so much better ❤ We also appreciate the on-pitch vocals while keeping a rather natural sound.
The first verse is sing-rapped by RLYNYG, who interestingly enough, touches on a subject that is most relevant (Rainbow kid and Meg Thee Stallion leading the gossip columns on what’s considered snitching… or not?!): “They got me thinking to myself like damn, what a shame!/ These n****s really ain’t with you, they with me for the fame/ But f*ck ’em/ I don’t really need ’em/ They change up like the seasons”. The mixing style is in tune with the hook, staying true to the artist but being artificially adjusted to the root key of the record. Big Like!
After the 2nd hook, we get introduced to the main artist, Bumbl B, a most versatile and talented rapper: “N***a please/ I bleed grind and hustle/ On my sh*t flexing my mind and muscle/ Listen mic check/ Come wrong and you might get/ Punched in ya teeth/ make you need a new white set”, the intensity of Bumbl B’s voice is palpable and purposeful, enhancing the lyrics and making a statement with each bar. Also, we love how she picks up the flow right before ending her verse: “Lyrically speaking I’m peaking and geeking on beats/ This what they need in the streets/ You honestly probably wanna be part of the team/ It’ll only happen in your dreams”, can we please give a MAJOR shoutout to the fact that Bumbl B rapped about being a go-getter and not taking sh*t from anyone while 90% of female rappers out there talk about their vagina? Thank you Bumbl B for being a leader and not a follower.
The 3rd verse belongs to Entro, who quite literally sings and then very slowly drifts into soft rapping. Entro starts off in circles around the very title, Honest, then goes to share that “losing ain’t an option”, and takes a fun poke at naysayers: “haters get the shoe polish”. Then he takes the same lyrical route as RLYNYG and Bumbl B, detailing how he’s evolving materialistically and mentally, “Going through growing pains/ Struggle turns into success/ Changed they mind-frame”, “Just grind hard like a pro-skater/ drama-free, no instigator/ counting numbers like a calculator”.
Honest is a rap record of a qualitatively superior class to the dry “hit” songs you’re being shoved down your throat on a daily basis. Its production reverberates a big, large atmosphere and it keeps the audience hooked to the gorgeous mix between the vocals of the 3 artists and the beat.
Song Credits: RLYNYG, Bumbl B, Entro – writers, The Ambience – producer, DJ Momo – recording, mixing, and mastering engineer.
Make sure you add Honest to your playlists on Apple Music, on Google Play, on Deezer, and on Spotify below:
Written by Mariana Berdianu
Blue Rhymez Entertainment ©2020
Blue Rhymez Entertainment 