Recently, I had noticed that James had not dropped an album since late June. As it turned out, this was no mere coincidence. He suffered a severe car crash in January that resulted in a broken vertebrae in his neck and multiple fractures in his legs. Even though this injury would keep most artists out of the studio, Boldy decided to push through his injuries and deliver his latest album, Penalty of Leadership. Entirely produced by Nicholas Craven, this project serves as a sequel to the previous LP they collaborated on titled Fair Exchange No Robbery. 

Image via Throw Up Magazine

Penalty of Leadership marks an improvement from both Craven and James. Craven’s production feels more spacious, emotional, and dynamic compared to the repetitive sample loops from Fair Exchange. However, the most noticeable change is in James’ lyricism. The recovery process from the car crash has not only tested his mental fortitude, but seemingly breathed new life into his lyricism. Up to this point, James was known for semi-autobiographical, but heavily exaggerated drug dealing stories.

This album marks a change in this formula as James opens up on the challenging rehab process following his brutal car crash. He also speaks on the current state of affairs for his family on tracks such as “Brand New Chanel Kicks” and “No Pun Intended.” James even flexes that he didn’t “graduate from high school, but [his] daughter got straight As” on the track with a similar name.

Boldy James’ new sense of vulnerability and sincerity since the car crash has added a new aspect to his music, and shows that there is a flawed man behind his cold deadpan delivery. It’s something not often seen from the rapper. The sparse sonic palette provided by Nicholas Craven truly allows James’ heart to shine front and center 

Official Maurice Crawford Score: 7.4/10 

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