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One of hip-hop music’s favorite pastimes is the everlasting debate of a particular artist’s best album. Fans, peers and critics of dozens of featured artists have spent decades debating on their favorite rappers catalogs, usually for fun more than anything else. Several factors can go into these debates: age, preference of sound, region and nostalgia, to name a few. There can be many reasons why a fan may side with a particular album. One noticeable trend in these discussions is the love for the debut album. If you go through the history of a majority or rappers’ catalogues, their debut effort carries a special place in the heart of their core fan bases. Reasonable Doubt, Ilmatic, The College Dropout, Get Rich or Die Tryin’, Ready to Die, and Good Kid, m.A.A.d. City are debut efforts that are beloved by millions of fans, many of which still consider those projects the best work of their respective authors. Maybe it’s the connection to the artist at their beginning before all of the fame and accolades, the lack of hype from “bandwagon” fans, or the clear hunger and passion an artist has when they haven’t made it yet compared to when they’re on top. Regardless of the reason, the debut album is a major moment in a rap artist’s career and can lead them to one day having a nation of fans debating their long career.
Bobby Hagens is an up and coming artist out of Maryland who has taken a slow and methodical approach in his approach to establishing a long lasting career in tap music. Coming out of the DMV, an area with a very independent mindset for better and for worse, he had to create a lane for himself and his music to be heard on a bigger scale. Through networking and connections, he scored a feature from one of the DMV’s biggest artists in Fat Trel on his 2011 single Friday Nite, which showed a young yet poised Bobby Hagens rapping right on par with a promising artist in the middle of his come up. Though that was long ago, it was a brief glimpse into the potential talent of a young MC finding his sound and style. That talent manifested itself again years later on Bobby’s 2016 single Lost Wild, featuring then R&B newcomer BJ The Chicago Kid. The song had shown the maturation and growth of a young man who felt the impact of everyone he cared about. It’s a strong, personal track from an artist who is brutually honest about his life. Building off of such a strong single, Bobby Hagens would take his time crafting the right project that would be truly his own. This patience would justify itself tenfold and produce a project that separates him from many of his local contemporaries.
On May 13, 2019, Bobby Hagens would release his debut album Let Me Tell It. From the title to the album art, which shows presumably Bobby as a young boy in the back seat of a car, the album gives a clear personal perspective and a serious tone. And it runs true when the album begins. The intro track Let You Tell It is a first hand account of a young man’s life has gone so far in response to people who question his motives and actions from his past. Past love, family, trust and karma run deep in the track, as a mirror is held up and he tries to fight the perception about himself. It’s a very honest and heavy track, especially for an introduction. But that tone carries right into the following track Runaway/ Slowdown. On the two part song, Bobby raps about his fear of commitment, thankfulness for his daughter and friends as well as fear of commitment and losing control. A relatable song on almost every level, the song portrays a mindset of being scared of what one desires the most. Aided by a beautiful LaChai chorus, the song stands as one of the album’s best.
There are several songs on the album that also carry the same focus and tone. Get Back brings into question what all the hard work and dedication to rap music is for and what the motivation is to make it. The track is confident, brash and honest, three aspects Bobby Hagens appears to take pride in whenever he rhymes. Our Time is an ode to the people who have been loyal from the beginning as well as a statement that the moment is here for lives to change for the better. Faith, confidence and once again, honesty, run throughout the track as Bobby wastes no lines speaking his truth.
In perhaps the most emotionally charged track of the album, Best in Me shows the Maryland product at his most vulnerable and open state. He raps about making his late father proud, trusting in God, suicidal thoughts and who exactly is there for him in life. Highlighted by vocals sampled from the gospel hit “The Best In Me” by Marvin Sapp and his choir, it’s a thoughtful track that makes you think about the man way before you think about the artist. And at rap music’s core, that personalization of lyrics and songs make it much easier to appreciate the artist’s hard work in their craft.
Women and relationships play another major role in Bobby Hagen’s debut effort. As a young man, it’s no surprise to see him inspired and impacted by women and his interactions with them. What is surprising, especially in this era of rap, is how open and vulnerable he allows the himself to be in his songs, despite the hyper-masculine culture that rap music is always in. Still Yours is an aggressive and emotional track pleading for reconciliation with a past love. Showing many of the common reactions to a breakup, Bobby raps about making bad choices in coping with the split and hope for a chance to make things right. In My Way is a more melodic take on that lost love, as he sings about lack of commitment and faithfulness as reasons he failed in the relationship. However, the roles reverse on the clever and slow-tempoed KimKanye. A track aimed a partner who failed intheir relationship, he stresses about needing her in case he loses control. All of these tracks break down different stages regarding matters of the heart and give the listener a glimpse into the relatable parts of an artist’s life. Rarely do you hear male rappers expose their shortcomings and admit their faults in relationships, which is more proof of the maturity Bobby Hagens displays as an artist.
The album wraps up with the boom-bap style outro Said & Done. Over the loud and brash sample, Bobby delivers one of the best verses of the entire album. A salute to his family, his best friend/manager and his daughter, he briefly recaps now he’s made it to this point and expresses his desire to simply make his music and be left alone. He ends the verse declaring he is “..the best in the city”, a strong finish to a strong album.
The DMV rap scene is in need of more lyricists and artists with a diverse style and subject matter. That has brought success to local products such as Adè, Wale, Goldlink, Logic and YBN Cordae, so there is a precedent already set. There is no reason to believe that an artist as talented as Bobby Hagens can’t make that leap one day. He has the rapping ability, charisma, thoughtfulness and support system in place to be a quality artist. Let Me Tell It is the type of debut effort that could easily launch a career if received by the right people. It’s original, diverse, well produced and highlighted by strong lyrics and concepts. The DMV may have just it’s next star waiting in the wings, time will tell.
Top 5 Songs:
1. Runaway/Slowdown
2. Let You Tell It
3. Lost Wild
4. Best in Me
5. Get Back