BOLAJI

Bolaji may be from Long Island, but his resemblance to some well-known rappers out of Staten Island is undeniable. His voice has the gravelly grit of Ghostface Killah, Ol Dirty Bastard, and Raekwon. Like those Wu-Tang Clan members, Bolaji has a chip on his shoulder and something to say. As 1/2 Lock Nelson,? the opening track of his self titled album, spills out over a foreboding beat, it's hard not to feel like the next 50 minutes are going to be worth your attention. "This is for them so called hot heads that act like nothing matters/I'm about to make them upset like stones in their gallbladders, Bolaji spits on the album's second track, Tighten Up. The track is full of braggadocio that luckily sounds well placed. Bolaji's flow is solid and menacing enough to support lines like "promoters want to book me/but they don't book me,˜cause they have a hard time finding real hip hop to book with me. Bolaji is full of big lush beats that combine melodic lines with intensely large bass lines, providing a perfect backing to Bolaji's growl. Natural sounds exactly that, with Bolaji seemingly at home with a string-laced beat. His voice flits in and out of the foreground, but remains captivating no matter where it's placed in the mix. He has a talent for punching syllables at the right moment, to make sure that the focus stays on his flow. Bolaji avoids monotony because his flow is dynamic. You're not going to zone out during these songs, because the lyrical stabs keep bringing you back. There are all kinds of influences on this album, from the island drums on Get Ta Know Me to the Krump soundscape of She Was Hot,but Bolaji shape shifts his way through the tracks without ever seeming out of place. His delivery is confident and natural enough to carry a variety of tracks on his back without sounding forced or false. Not every track on Bolaji is a winner, though. On The Way is a notable example of a track that tries to do too much. Here, a steady beat grinds, punctured by horn stabs while a ticking metronome beat keeps the time. Bolaji's flow sounds overwhelmed, and the song just sounds busy. In other places, like on I Get It On, Bolaji lets a much more sparse beat fade to the background, instead placing the focus on his voice and lyrics. Those songs are much more successful. In fact, Bolaji would do well to space out his beats even more, as his flow has enough texture on its own that it could really do wonders over breaks and a cappellas. For the most part, though, Bolaji is note-perfect throughout. He isn't afraid to embrace his strong voice and use it to propel tracks forward, driving the songs without seeming overbearing. His lyrics, often boastful and contentious, fit the sound; if you come at Bolaji, you'll get the fight you're looking for. If anything, Bolaji could use more of that fight. These songs sound best on blast, pumping the volume all the way up and letting the bass shake the building. Then, his voice really takes off and the lyrics become battle cries. If his voice were even more front-and-center, that hype would be uncontainable. Bolaji has the potential to match Ghostface's snarl as he destroys tracks and tells stories; it's scary to think what he could do with his potential. In the end, Bolaji represents a very solid effort from a rapper with a lot of upside. He makes songs that evoke strong emotion, and sound much more like hardened truths than posturing. Where most young rappers sound like they're trying to fit in shoes that are too big, Bolaji sounds like he's been here before and is just looking for the spark to set him off. On "I Get It On, he raps "I want energy in music again/I used to feel like I could do anything when I heard my favorite jam/Now it's so jiggly jelly/I know there gotta be people like me that wanna hear the real, daily Bolaji has found the energy and the real, now he just has to bring it to the people. Review by Chris Barth Rating: 4 stars (out of 5) - Chris Barth

BOLAJI IS GETTING READY TO TAKE THE WORLD BY STORM! STRAIGHT OUT OF LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK! THIS MC IS NO ORDINARY ARTIST. IN THIS EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH BOLAJI HE SPEAKS CANDIDLY ABOUT HATERS, KANYE WEST, HIP HOP MUSIC TODAY AND HIS DESIRE TO ONE DAY WORK WITH MARY J. BLIGE! FOR MORE ON BOLAJI VISIT WWW.HOTSTYLEMUSIC.NET OR WWW.MYSPACE.COM/BIGCITYSTYLE

1. Tell us about you and your career?
My birth name is Bolaji Barber born in Strong Island N.Y & raised by the entire state and what I mean by that is I grew up in a single family environment that moved around a lot but as for me and my undying passion for Hip Hop music, I took an interest in wanting to join the ranks in the late 80's, N. Babylon NY was where I found my love for Hip Hop & ability to bless the microphone, I've collaborated with with artists to form and release The Rap group High Council & also worked with DJ's & independent outfits on numerous mix CD's and compilations. Some of the titles include, “Explicit”, "Unsigned All-Stars" & "Project S.C.A.R.” Vintage Records " Hip Hop Music", The Mick boogie CD release entitled "The Big Picture", DJ Lordie's "Gangster Music 6 " & more. ? Currently I've been keeping my presence in the game with a 16 song indie CD entitled "The Vinyl’s" a collection of what my listeners are calling innovative production, vibrant lyrics, fresh concepts, unforgettable hooks & killer punch lines but even after receiving great comments like that, I'm still an artist that realizes it not only takes skill/dedication but it also takes an enormous amount of money/promotion and competent team to break a new artist.

2. What does Hip Hop stand for today?
I believe Hip Hop still stands for the community & breed of people that have taken a language and created a culture. But now it's become a profitable entertainment business and as with all business it has a way of redefining itself quarterly. But seriously to answer the question, Hip Hop stands for every one of us that love it!

3. Is Hip Hop dying, like most artists are saying?
No, Hip Hop as we knew it is, But Hip Hop music today as I said previously has just redefined itself and a lot of artists have NOT come to grips with the business aspect of Hip Hop. The Hip Hop music the artists are saying is dying is still being recorded its just not being promoted. Many artists have turned to the internet and independent distributors to display their music to the listeners but they don't have the spending capital necessary to move the project with the proper promoters and targeting techniques it takes to successfully market their works… so to answer the question they're saying it's dying because they are not hearing the music they love, due to lack of proper targeting and promotion e.g. people tend to gravitate towards what others talk about so to get them to talk, you have to promote.

4. What is your biggest obstacle?
Balancing my time between work, family and Hip Hop music. It's a challenge at times to explain the inner workings of what it takes to complete a project especially when you're the lyricist, producer, 9 to 5 holding it down father of a family and deal with the regular day to day operations of an independent company.

5. How do you feel about local radio?
I feel local radio has very little if any interest in their local talent unless their spending campaign money, after all they are still a business which is not the same as saying I agree with the way they handle their business. I think they should open up to their audience and give their supporters more opportunities to show their talent.

6. What other artists do you respect for their game?
I respect artists that follow their hearts and speak and produce what they want to hear not ALWAYS what their told wants to be heard. Artists like Kanye West, Jay-Z, Dr. Dre, J. Ortiz, KRS-ONE & Ludacris to name a few.
7. How do you deal with haters and MySpace gangsters?
I don't deal with them. I just give them more of the Hip Hop skills (Lyrics & production) they love to privately emulate and hate me for.

8. What is your take on our economy?
It's a mess and it has been for a long time now. This economy has been facing stability and growth issues for over 10 years now In my opinion, it's far from being the return of the great depression, this is an unfortunate time but it could definitely be a lot worse, yes we have a huge unemployment rate, banks failures, and more stock market losses than we would like to see but I believe the reason why people are feeling this set back so early in the stages of recession is because we as a people have a much higher standard of living now and most of us make financial commitments that we really can't afford. We have a rough road ahead but if we learn to utilize what we have we'll need less to rebuild the economy.
9. Who would you like to do a feature with and why?
I always wanted to rock one with Mary J. Blige and still do because when she puts it down it's always heartfelt and passionate and those are two of my most important values in creating the music I take part in.

10. What is your opinion on Kanye's outburst at every event?
My opinion to his outburst might surprise you and here is why. I don't always agree with his timing or what he's saying but I really respect this man for speaking his mind. I'd much rather want to be around someone that tells it like it is or like it is to them then someone to keep it to themselves and talk loose about me to someone else.

11. What is your advice for an upcoming rapper?
Be yourself, Take your time, develop your craft, practice your performance, always take part in every promotional event you can and most of all never sign a contract without a lawyer just because you think you could understand what you read because it probably says something different.

12. How do fans reach you or hear your music?
Fans can reach me @ bolaji@hotstylemusic.net and hear my music on the internet @ http://www.hotstylemusic.net, http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/Bolaji1 http://www.myspace.com/bigcitystyle , iTunes, facebook, Amazon, emusic, tradebit, blackplanet music, Rhapsody, Media Net, Music now, Reverbnation, GreatindieMusic, Inprodicon, Didiom, ZUNE, Last.fm, Amie Street, OD2, Shockhound, lala, Verizon V-cast, liquid digital, Spotify, Napster & Digstation.

13. Shout Outs!!
I shout it out to everyone in love with Hip Hop music, everyone that's always supported what I do on the daily, my family and my Hotstyle Music Camp.
- Eric Martinez - POWERMOVES ENTERTAINMENT