Blue Chips 7000

Action Bronson's second major-label album is also the third volume of Blue Chips, the first two of which were mixtapes that preceded the rapper's first Atlantic-supported LP, the Top Ten hit Mr. Wonderful. Guest verses excepted, there weren't any intermediary releases during the two and a half years between Mr. Wonderful and Blue Chips 7000, but Bronson was involved with other pursuits -- multiple small-screen series for Viceland and a book -- that boosted his outsized profile. Party Supplies, who produced the entirety of Blue Chips and Blue Chips 2, furnishes only three cuts here, but fellow beatmakers Harry Fraud, the Alchemist, Knxwledge, and Daringer likewise favor dusty, unhurried grooves sourced from pre-disco soul, funk, and jazz recordings. Scuttling percussion, noodling electric pianos, and rubbery basslines remain suited for Bronson's nasal, humor-laced self-praise and subtle jabs at himself, whether he's boasting about his swimmer's body and celebrity chef friends, lamenting his inability to dunk, or proclaiming "Your shit lack quality/I'm sittin' right behind my chick makin' pottery." Sonically, one ebullient exception is "Let Me Breathe," partially a mid-'80s throwback for which Fraud repurposes the chiming melody from "The Fat Boys Are Back." Bronson responds in kind, dribbling non sequiturs like it's 1985. At all times, Bronson's enthusiasm for nourishment, sexual exploits, professional sports references, and inhalants remains at a high level. ~ Andy Kellman