"Hear me By the Hour, I Give Ya Fifty Vowels, When I Brain Storm It's Like a Shower"

Below is one of the hidden heat rocks off Bobby Ray's new mixtape No Genre. While there are a bunch of re-treads like Higher and Not Lost, there are more than a few of new ones that don't disappoint. After a couple listens it's pretty evident that this mixtape is meant to return to a more Hip Hop driven sound, as if he needs to remind us that just because all his singles sound pop, he is still a Hip Hop artist.

Even better, @bobatl is listed as the producer on The Watchers, providing more evidence of talent beyond being an artist, which falls in line with the heightened combination of writing/producing/performing that a lot of new Hip Hop artists are bringing to the table. Which begs the question, does mainstream Hip Hop (you know the fans who listen and fund the artists by purchasing the music) now appreciate a higher level of intelligence? I say intelligence because you can't be an idiot and produce and write your own music. While I'd like to argue that answer is yes, I'm not naive enough to think most consumers of mainstream music give 2 shits about who was behind the production and writing credits. But, maybe you could make a case that the intelligence from the artist comes from the money they are saving by not having to pay a writer and producer for beats/lyrics? Just ask J Cole who doesn't seem to need too many high profile names behind his beats or Drake who writes all of his verses. I know you reading this don't pay anywhere close to the amount of attention to detail as me when it comes music and what goes into why it is good and people like it, but I feel like knowing and being able to justify what you like gives you power. There's nothing worse than being called a fair weather fan or someone who just likes it because everyone else does. Knowledge is ammo and when you have info to back up your position, people respect that, so while some of you may dismiss a lot of the stuff I write, there have to be some of you out there that are at least slightly intrigued by all the links I post and extra background I give about tracks. And guess what, even if there isn't anyone who cares, I'm still learning a whole lotta stuff about the music I like when I create a post, so it's not an entirely symbiotic relationship...

Wow that was a fun rant...haha. Anyways, B.O.B. made an unofficial video for the head nodder below. Sort of a street video if you will, but the same brand of cool...

Some wise words are mixed in throughout too, don't discount the wisdom...

"And if you good at something make sure they pay you
And if not take a thank you
Whether they praise you, or whether they hate you
It’s all about the attention that they pay you"

B.O.B. - The Watchers (prod by B.O.B.)

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