Know Your Rappers: Action Bronson

His voice doesn't sound anything like what he looks like

Let’s say you’re a respected gourmet flame-chef in New York. You have a bunch of friends that like to hang out and rap, but you’re doing your thing, and then they invite you over when they’re making a mixtape and so you give it a try. Then you find out you’re pretty much better than them, and you’re actually really good at rapping, and you happen to sound like Ghostfaced Killah. Then you decide to swap the knives for the mic, and voila! Enter Action Bronson.

I’ve been following Action for about 6 months now, and it’s in agreement that he’s the real deal. He puts out albums and mixtapes constantly, so it’s easy to see him evolve, and he’s starting to get a real following. He’s unique in the sense that he blends lyrics about New York, food, women and being a gangster all together pretty flawlessly. He uses tons and tons of food metaphors throughout everything, like comparing the taste of lamb laced with fennel to doing [NAUGHTY THINGS] in the back of the rental. He’s mental! But really, something about the way he layers his rhymes with food and feelings really creates these distinct images, even tastes of what he’s seeing and doing. It’s pretty cool to listen to.

However, his biggest strength is also his biggest problem; almost all of the songs I’ve heard are the same, over different beats. They’re all about food, women, New York and being a G, mixed together or with emphasis on one of the big 4. The lyricism is great; double, triple rhymes, tons of metaphor and double meanings, but you get the feeling every song is pretty much about the same kinds of things. It’s really impressive what he does, and how he blends all these descriptions into a single, cohesive feeling (I get the impression of “full” and “satisfied”), but it still feels like he enjoys playing with words and images more than telling any particular story. Not that I mind, he’s still new to the scene and it’s a pleasure to hear him roll over these rhymes. He also tends to pick some odd beats (his album Dr. Lecter has him rapping entirely over beats made for breakdancers), that I don’t particularly care for.

I will say he raps about some pretty…naughty things, if you’re looking for more PG-13 ratings, you won’t get them. But don’t let that turn you off, check him out. Also, if you do nothing else, watch him in these:

He has a series of how-to-cook videos on Youtube that he made after he became a rapper. They’re all hilarious, but the food is also legit. I’m making it.

If you want to check out some of his stuff, look at his newest mixtape Blue Chips (it’s my favorite). Especially "Pouches of Tuna” “Steve Wynn” and “Tapas.” Off his album, "Shiraz" probably sums up who he is, visually and lyrically: