Over the weekend, Boldy James dropped his second stellar project of the year. Produced entirely by Griselda affiliate Conductor Williams, Across the Tracks is a perfect pack of 10 tracks. Both rapper and producer are in peak form with Boldy rapping at a very high level and Williams conducting drum machines as if his name was Lydia Tár or Carlos Kleiber. The duo have been rolling this album out over the past few weeks, with “Terms and Conditions” (the album’s intro) and “Off-White Lumberjack” serving as the first two singles. Both songs gave listeners a good idea of what to expect from the full-length.
Across the Tracks only has two features: Mafia Double Dee and Bo Jack. The former is Boldy’s sister and the latter is his teenage son. Yes, you read that right. Bo Jack makes an impressive standout appearance on “All Madden,” giving the impression that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Boldy’s ear for beats is an underrated talent of his, and Conductor does a great job making sure the production accentuates the Detroit rapper’s signature monotone flow. There’s nothing better than listening to Boldy wax poetic about his days as a drug dealer over soulful production. It gets even better when you hear Williams’ signature tag, “Conductor, we have a problem!” as a track starts to play.
This collab tape has been overdue, and we’re lucky to get to the opportunity to witness two masters work together at a high level. Across the Tracks is just the latest in a string of great projects from both artists. Boldy’s first album of the year, Penalty of Leadership (fully produced by Nicholas Craven), made some mid-year best albums lists and Conductor ended last year with a Drake credit and started this one with a J. Cole placement.
Be sure to check this tape out, and give a look at our track-by-track breakdown and rankings below to see if you agree.
