Boldy James & Cuns Unleash Collaborative Album, "Be That As It May"

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This marks Boldy's fourth collaborative album of the year, and pairs his storytelling with a more lush instrumental pallet.

Griselda's Detroit representative has established himself as one of the greatest lyricists working today with four excellent albums this year. Boldy James has just dropped his fourth collab of the year, Be That As It May with Cuns. Moreover, the Italian producer takes a lush and boom-bap-heavy approach to matching Boldy's lyricism. In fact, the previous single "Foot Prints," with its grand samples and hard-hitting percussion, was a great sonic indicator of the greatness to come.

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 01: Boldy James of The Alchemist x Boldy James performs during the NBA Leather tour at The Warfield on February 01, 2022 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)

Still, this album does have its surprises. Cuns' production is a bit more crisp, orchestral, and rooted in '90s era hip-hop when it comes to sample choices and sequencing. While albums like Mr. Ten08 took things in an electronic or contemporary direction on occasion, the production here is rooted in soulful styles. If anything, it goes to show the 40-year-old MC's consistent versatility, appeal, and quality.

Moreover, Bo's been on a hot streak. Over the past twelve months, he released Super Tecmo Bo with The Alchemist, Killing Nothing with Real Bad Man, Fair Exchange No Robbery with Nicholas Craven, and Mr. Ten08 with Futurewave. In fact, he dropped Be That As It May almost exactly a year after his 2021 Alchemist collab. What's more is that they're all excellent.

Across this album in particular, Boldy is both a fantastic narrator for life experiences and a consistently confident spitter. His descriptions are intricate, his wordplay is creative yet grounded, and his delivery is so engaging that you won't notice a flow switch-up. In other words, it's smooth as butter, and the grueling themes in "Earned Not Given" and "God Speed" come through vividly. It's all made for some of the best albums of the year.

What did you think of this album and the Detroit MC's run this year? Do you have a favorite? Are you looking forward to that J Dilla-produced project? Whatever the case, let us know in the comments. If you have to catch up, peep the tracklist below and find Be That As It May by Boldy James and Cuns on your preferred streaming service. Also, stay tuned to HNHH for more great albums from the game's best MCs.

Tracklist

  1. OT Commute
  2. Earned Not Given
  3. Safe Keeps (Ft. Lord Apex)
  4. Foot Prints
  5. Daydates & Daytonas
  6. God Speed
  7. 2.2 Lbs
  8. Quinine (Ft. Bo Skeet & Taj Mahal)
  9. Travel Lodge
  10. Pepper Jack
  11. Closure

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.
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