The day has arrived. After they first worked together cutting "Bird On A Wire" with Riff Raff, the long awaited joint effort by Queens MC Action Bronson and his long-time collaborator, Harry Fraud, dropped today. The new release, Saaab Stories, is available for your listening pleasure courtesy of Spotify, and with only seven songs total, Bronsolino brings it. Every song is a banger individually, and as a whole, this EP is a great summer release for hip-hop.
One of the highlights on this album is hands-down "Strictly 4 My Jeeps." This single was released months ago, but last week came the remix with LL Cool J and Lloyd Banks, who although are much older than Bronson in career terms, still represent Bronson's beloved borough of birth - Queens. Fraud's production for this Queens anthem is classic hip-hop production 101, and the accompanying music video for the original version has everything funny you could imagine Bronson doing in a music video.
Another stand-out on this tape might be "Alligator." It comes off like a semi-heavy crunk song, however three minutes into it, it fades into a slow-synth, spotlight moment for Bronson, where he holds nothing back showing off his adept rap prowess. "The Rockers" with Wiz Khalifa is the EP's stoner anthem, hands-down, and "72 Virgins" with Big Body Bes plays as a great intro - no drums, and a heavy blues guitar solo beat that reminds one of the production on "Brunch" or "The Symbol" - two of Bronson's most iconic tracks.
Bronson and Fraud certainly saved the best for last on this tape. The song, "Seven Series Triplets," takes the cake on Saaab Stories, and might even be considered by some as a classic in today's hip-hop. With production that sounds like it was sampled straight from a Quentin Tarantino flick, and a guest verses by Prodigy of Mobb Deep and Raekwon of the legendary Wu-Tang Clan, this song goes the hardest with its mastery of the New York sound.
It's only an EP, but as Bronson has shown us since the start of his career - size does not matter. Every song is consistent, and almost feels like each one gradually increases in excellence as the tape goes on. Available above is a stream of the EP in its entirety via Spotify. Saaab Stories is also available on iTunes as well, and as an introduction to Action Bronson's music, or for listeners who've been loyal to his work since Dr. Lector, Saaab Stories is certainly one of his finest projects and worth paying for. Enjoy!
