THE PRICE OF TEA IN CHINA (DELUXE EDITION) X BOLDY JAMES X THE ALCHEMIST

 

And we are back with another official review! As promised, the below are our metrics for our reviews. To see our previous review of HOUSE X LUPE FIASCO, click here.

 

FEEL- What type of feelings does the music evoke? What does it make you want to do?

LYRICS- Are there bars?

PRODUCTION- Does the artist ride the beats? Does their cadence match the production? Does the production fit well with the project?

OVERALL- How many tracks do we like compared to the number of tracks on the project?

 

Feel free to use the above for your own reference as you go through the music and let us know what you think! 

 

THE PRICE OF TEA IN CHINA (DELUXE EDITION) X BOLDY JAMES X THE ALCHEMIST

Release Date: 7.10.20

Number of Tracks: 16

Duration: 51 MINS     

Favorite Track: Belvedere, Surf & Turf

 

The year is 2008, and a much younger Oracle was minding his business, playing his Xbox 360. A staple in the gaming rotation, NBA 2K, brought about the latest installment, 2K9 and its corresponding soundtrack. It was here I was exposed to the rap group, The Cool Kids, with their song 2K Pennies, and became a fan. It was through following their career, that I was exposed to Boldy James, who is often featured on their projects. Not much else is known about Boldy however, other than the fact that he is from Detroit, thanks to his constant reminders in his raps.

 

The Alchemist on the other hand, may already be one of the most legendary producers of all time. Even by today’s standards, it is hard to have a conversation about legends in production without his name coming up. So when the two decided to collaborate for The Price of Tea in China, I was genuinely interested to see what it would sound like. And because we here at ORR, take pride in exposing others to music they may not otherwise have heard, the album was an obvious choice for our next review.

 

Feel

Boldy James raps in a way that is surprisingly smooth, which lends itself well to the tone of the album. Even though we are living through some unprecedented times, the album feels like everything is moving at the pace Boldy wants it to. This can be a little jarring, because the actual content is nothing short of gangster rap, though you cannot tell by the raw feel of the tape.

 

“The more you sweat in training- the less you bleed in combat.”

 

Lyrics

While there are definitely bars, they may take a while to recognize. One of the reasons for this is that Boldy’s cadence can feel uninspired at times. And while this does not bother me, others may cite him as uninteresting. Another reason it may take a while to recognize the bars is that Boldy is in fact rapping about traditional mob activities. There is some novelty in this however, The Price of Tea in China also boasts some big name features. From the aforementioned Cool Kids, to the previously reviewed Freddie Gibbs, Vince Staples is awarded the top spot for best feature.

 

“What’s all the fuss about- It’s either cut me in or CUT IT OUT.”

 

Production

This is not The Alchemist’s first mention on ORR, and there is not many in the hip hop world that has not heard his work. Already a legend in terms of production, Al brought the waves for this project that Boldy simply had to ride, and ride them he did. The samples are well placed, and pace of the album sets the tone for a solid trip, wherever 202 may be taking you. TPOTIC rides with its smoothest tracks (Belvedere, Surf & Turf) as instant additions to your 2020 playlist.

 

Overall

The Price of Tea in China is a surprisingly smooth tape that would have never been on our radar if not for our existing fandom of The Cool Kids. While we generally do not gravitate towards traditional gangster rap, Boldy’s flow fits exceptionally well with the outstanding production. Add in a few big name features, and we are left with 10 of the 16 tracks available to add to our late mid 2020 playlist. If this is your first time hearing of Boldy James, it should not be your last after giving this album a spin.

 

The album in a word: Smooth.

 

 

8.21.2020 – The Oracle