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El Barrio Spanish Harlem native Bodega Bamz’s breakthrough mixtape 'Strictly For My P.A.P.I.Z’ dropped in 2012 during the ‘New, New York’ movement, when the next generation of East Coast talent - A$AP Rocky & the rest of the Mob, Joey Badass & the Pro Era crew, Action Bronson - were moving from the underground to the mainstream. What sets Bodega apart from his peers is how uncompromisingly Latino he is, part Puerto Rican and Dominican, the tape is littered with Spanish slang, lyrics and samples. In 2015 Bamz went in a new direction on his sophomore album, ‘Sidewalk Exec.’ Produced entirely by V Don and released under the venerated Duck Down Music label, Bamz served up an LP that sonically and lyrically were reminiscent of the boom-bap era of New York hip-hop, incorporating the gritty, New York underground sound, and V Don did a good job mixing high-pitched flutes with an arrangement of woodwind instruments. Keeping his guest features to a minimum on the 40-minute-plus LP, Bamz recruited the help of some familiar faces with A$ton Matthews, Flatbush Zombies, Joell Ortiz and the late A$AP Yams all appearing on the project. Following the release of Sidewalk Exec, Bamz continued to release music (Papi) and expanded his fanbase and the Tan Boys brand, a collective of Hispanic MCs that aim to unite the Latin community of Hip-Hop, by going on several nationwide tours with the likes of Flatbush Zombies, Danny Brown, and Joey Bada$$. ‘YAMS HEARD THIS’ is the 4th album by Bodega Bamz. Dedicated to the memory of his late friend A$AP Yams, the ten-track record includes features from Kevin Gates and Tan Boy Luka, with production that incorporates both the Latino flavor from Strictly 4 My Papiz and New york boom bap from Sidewalk Exec. Bamz delivers his fans what they have been waiting for and honors his mentor: “Originally, I had the idea to drop a project called WWYD (What Would Yams Do). There was a time when I was lost. My homie Yams, who I would run all of my music by, was my sounding board, who always knew what was hot, and knew when I had a track ready for the streets, was no longer there. So the reason why I named this album Yams Heard This, is because if he was still alive today, I know he would have loved the vibe and energy of this album and would have given me his stamp of approval. These are the types of songs he would have wanted to executive produce.” |
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