Boldy James’ Comeback EP Featuring Kool G Rap Is A Welcomed Return (Audio)

When Nas invested in Mass Appeal Records, Boldy James was one the artists he began touting shortly after. The Detroit, Michigan street MC worked with Prodigy, Action Bronson, Odd Future, and extensive work with Alchemist. While he was extremely prolific in the early 2010s, Boldy slowed his roll over the last two years, making key appearances.

This week, he released The Art of Rock Climbing through Mass Appeal. The seven song project made with Motown veteran DJ Butter features some heavy co-signs from the likes of Kool G Rap (“Married To The Streets”) and Kokane (“To Love and Die In Detroit”). Beyond the collaborations, Boldly sounds confident, clever, and charismatic over some of the peppiest production in his catalog.

The Art of Rock Climbing is about a few different things,” explained Boldy in a press statement. The hiatus was not from boredom with his craft, but some real life problems. “The artwork has the four founding fathers of Detroit Hip-Hop as the heads of Mount Rushmore with me and DJ Butter scaling them. The art can be interpreted as showing how getting out of Detroit is akin to scaling a fucking mountain – don’t too many people make it out: they die, they go to jail. Another interpretation is a nod to my former rock slinging days. Another interpretation is that it’s about chasing dead presidents – that’s what we all after. That’s what we all about in the ghetto: it’s all about the money. Halfway through making The Art of Rock Climbing, I went away for a while. I was on the run for a year and got caught up for ‘fleeing and eluding’ for a weed violation I got in the suburbs and then everything got caught up to me, I had to deal with a bunch of warrants, probation violations and took a plea but still had to pay fines and be gone for a few months. Once I got out, DJ Butter and I finished it up and here it is.”

Boldy James & Alchemist Get Vivid For “Moochie” (Video)

Perhaps 2017 is the year Boldy and Nas make that track together that actualizes the vision.

#BonusBeat: The “Heavy In The Game” visual, from the EP:

The Art of Rock Climbing EP is also available for purchase, in addition to the open stream.