Boldy James has a long history of working with talented producers. The rapper routinely works with Alchemist, and in June said he was preparing to release a J Dilla-produced record.
Now, James has joined forces with Nicholas Craven. Craven’s worked with James a few times before, as well as having collabed with names like Westside Gunn, Benny the Butcher, and Roc Marciano. On “Power Nap,” James and Craven deliver a low-key track with darker undertones.
Craven’s production is reminiscent of other instrumentals Boldy is known to appear on. It’s little more than a cut-up soul sample, with a voice crooning “Go to sleep” over a twinkling electric piano and guitar. While the single has the sound of a lullaby, James speaks of a more eternal sleep. “Stick look like a sway bar, got big AR with the Ferris wheel / Wake your whole hood up, let that Drake sing you a lullaby,” he says in the opening of the song.
Check out the track below, and let us know what you think of it in the comments.
Quotable Lyrics
Left that n***a sound asleep, they marked him off a tardy
Six sleeping bags on the grass, it’s a slumber party
Long live my brother Marty, I kept shit moving on
But on some real shit, I ain’t really slept since you been gone