The debut album from Los Angeles rapper, JAHMED, is a short-lived mishmash of ideas, but displays a promising future for the artist if his ideas are refined.
By Gavin Majeski
After dropping quality single after single in early 2020, up-and-coming hip-hop artist JAHMED released his debut record, “THEBOOFMOBILE,” in March. “THEBOOFMOBILE” features just as much heavy bass, high hat work and claps as other contemporary trap artists, but JAHMED stands out with his witty humor and unique flow. Boasting a similar vocal cadence to Johnny Venus of hip-hop duo EARTHGANG, JAHMED distinguishes himself from the mainstream hip-hop landscape not only with his voice, but his ability to mix up his flow from track to track.
While “THEBOOFMOBILE” features consistent bangers and solid transitions between songs, it truly faults with its brief 13-minute run-time as a full-length project instead of being marketed as an EP. “THEBOOFMOBILE” presents a distinct automobile theme with the songs “JEEP,” “REDLIGHT,” “MAZDA,” “TWOTEN” and even the interludes “2AM” and “INTERLUDE.”
The unfortunate part about having such a short record is that JAHMED is unable to fully expand upon the theme, leaving the whole record feel underdeveloped. “PRELUDE,” “INTERLUDE” and “2AM” are prime examples of filler because the album is so short. It almost feels if the record was marketed as an EP instead of a full-length project that it could justify just how underwhelming it is.
“ARCHIVE,” arguably the best single dropped by JAHMED up until the release of his latest record, for some reason is absent on “THEBOOFMOBILE.” Though the track doesn’t fit with the consistent automobile concept of the record, neither does the track “LIFTMEUP” featuring ICECOLDBISHOP.
“THEBOOFMOBILE” shows promise for one of the most standout rappers within the trap-rap scene, but if a lasting impression wants to be left, JAHMED needs to put more effort into his next project.
Favorite Tracks: JEEP, REDLIGHT, MAZDA, TWOTEN
6/10