Action Bronson – Dr. Lecter (Fine Fabric Delegates)
Action Bronson is a fat white dude from Queens who raps about food over funky, loop-driven beats. Upon first listen, Bronson’s high-pitched outer-borough accent and love of dusty samples will have you thinking you’re hearing the best Ghostface record since Fishscale, but the inevitable repeated spins will reveal a well-crafted album by an MC with his own personality.
Dr. Lecter is cohesive, with all cuts produced by Tommy Mas, and sounding like lost gems from the early ‘90s. Most of the track titles reference food (“Brunch,” “Shiraz”) or b-list athletes from a couple generations back (“Barry Horowitz,” “Ronnie Coleman”) and the fifteen songs roll by in less than forty-five minutes.
Action Bronson – Dr. Lecter (Fine Fabric Delegates)
Action Bronson is a fat white dude from Queens who raps about food over funky, loop-driven beats. Upon first listen, Bronson’s high-pitched outer-borough accent and love of dusty samples will have you thinking you’re hearing the best Ghostface record since Fishscale, but the inevitable repeated spins will reveal a well-crafted album by an MC with his own personality.
Dr. Lecter is cohesive, with all cuts produced by Tommy Mas, and sounding like lost gems from the early ‘90s. Most of the track titles reference food (“Brunch,” “Shiraz”) or b-list athletes from a couple generations back (“Barry Horowitz,” “Ronnie Coleman”) and the fifteen songs roll by in less than forty-five minutes.
Bronson rhymes fast and nimble. He doesn’t have a whole lot to say, but thankfully doesn’t pretend to be sharing anything profound. He just brags and boasts in new ways and peppers his bars with a cook’s inside knowledge of cuisine. Williams Sonoma, fudge recipes and the price of tuna steak are all discussed. Also, I was pleased to note that he never rhymed “lobster” with “mobster,” a true sign of studio gangsta mafia fantasy laziness.
The only dips in quality are the guest spots from Bronson’s Outdoorsmen crew, the type of technically skilled, personality-free MCs who bore the embroidered horses off of rugby shirts in the name of true New York rap. But sometimes you need a mouthful of white rice in between bites of steak, and the posse cuts are easy to chew through and relegated to the second half of the album.
Dr. Lecter pairs perfectly with summer. It’s the type of lighthearted fun that is a no-brainer for default plays in the kitchen, the car, the gym or the smoke session. By all means scoop it if you’re hungry for hip-hop without r’n’b hooks or nods to club music.
By Chris Terry
