There are only so many artists we can consider multi-faceted. Thanks to technology, musicians can make artwork for their own songs and graphic designers can create cutesy lo-fi beats to soundtrack their latest animations, creating a DIY culture that accepts mediocracy because you did it yourself. Very few artists are able to enter into new avenues and emerge a success, the ones that do are celebrated and their work is archived like the journals of an explorer who discovered a new land. At the same time, this newfound DIY scene has produced some of the most exciting and innovative art of this generation, genres like bedroom pop and punk have flourished in this culture with hip-hop leading the charge with refreshing sounds and unique takes on the young genre.
For just over a decade now, Action Bronson has not only crossed artistic mediums but has traversed entire cultures and always seems to slide into these new outlets with ease. From the abstract paintings he did himself that house his slick flows on albums like White Bronco and Only For Dolphins to his hit traveling food TV series, Bronson seems right at home wherever he may land. He emerged in the early 2010s as a fresh-faced voice in hip-hop and quickly reshaped the genre to fit his food-centric rhyme schemes and velvet delivery, taking advantage of platforms like Datpiff to distribute his other-worldly rhymes. This placed him in the “blog era” of hip-hop, a moment when the genre began to flood the internet with mixtapes with some of the most celebrated artists of this generation releasing projects through Datpiff and similar sites. The fact that Bronson has achieved the same longevity as his peers speaks volumes to his music and his approach to art as a whole, cultivating a style all to his own and putting his progression as an artist on display through a colorful discography.
A career like Action Bronson’s has to start somewhere, and one of his first tastes of success came in the form of SAAAB Stories (released 6/9/13). This Harry Fraud-produced EP is Bronson’s first studio project after landing a major recording deal and is celebrating its 10th birthday today (June 11). At the time, Bronson had already built a solid buzz around his golden vocals after releasing a string of mixtapes that placed him on the radar of Harry Fraud. Fraud presented Bronson with an eccentric selection of instrumentals, all fitting wonderfully under Bonson’s booming vocals that deliver surreal rhymes. The marriage of these two styles gives SAAAB Stories its distinctive sound, being carried by Bronson’s natural sense of melody and the obscure food and sports references that build his verses. His razor-sharp tongue finds solace over this tasting menu of flavors from Fraud, creating a memorable piece of music that might not hold up to what Bronson has become but still holds its own against projects from the blog era.
Harry Fraud saw the diversity in Bronson’s vocals before any of us did. The instrumentals he created for SAAAB Stories not only put his style in a league of his own but essentially became the blueprint for future Bronson releases. The lush synths and repetitive drums of “The Rockers” is a prime example of where hip-hop was at the time of SAAAB Stories but also holds its own against some of the more 90s-centered instrumentals like “No Time”. These two styles are at the core of the project with the bomb-like drums of Fraud’s influences going toe-to-toe with the uptempo nature of the genre’s landscape. Fraud brought the best out of Bronson with this sonic direction with the instrumentals being the only thing that could keep up with Bronson’s wit.
At the time, Bronson’s writing style was slowly developing into what it is today. He was still finding his own voice and using a shock factor to elevate his verses. A song like “Triple Backflip” details things like Bronson ripping off penises to hiding his finest pieces of dishware inside a woman’s crotch, inclusive to say the least. This style of writing can feel attention-seeking but there is something about Bronson’s delivery of these bars that relieves some of those horrorcore tropes. His voice sounds like watching waves crash on an ocean and even when his lyrics lean to a more abrasive style, his flows smooth the sharp edges of his rhyme schemes. SAAAB Stories also features Bronson’s signature hooks, an integral element of his unique style. The aforementioned Wiz Khalifa-assisted “The Rockers” boasts not only some of Bronson’s best verses but one of the most memorable choruses of his career.
SAAAB Stories is a rare glimpse into an artist with clear potential who is still trying to find their own voice to project that potential. Bronson has evolved into a full-blown star since the release of his 2013 EP and revisiting these albums that only expose nuggets of what the future holds for the artist only adds wonderment to the Action Bronson we know today. Thanks to the kaleidoscope of tones and tempos presented by Harry Fraud, Bronson was able to continue his artistic journey in the best way possible. These eight songs are bursting with colorful language and gritty instrumentals that melt over each other, giving Bronson just enough space to explore new areas of his vocals. SAAAB Stories holds its own 10 years after its initial release, marking a pivotal career moment for Bronson while still hosting some terrific examples of where hip-hop was only so long ago.
