If you judge this CD based on what radio stations will play, I guess you can say that Bomb and Hype have what it takes to make it in this business. A-Bomb and Hype-one have both been rhyming since they were teenagers. The duo met over the internet and Bomb from Atlanta and Hype from Massachusetts, would battle, talk trash and collaborate over the web, before actually meeting and moving in together in Atlanta, creating a CD about sex and drugs. I’d like them to find other topics of interest to rap about, but if that’s all you know, go for it.
The duo shows the beginning stages of what could be a promising career. I can’t really say I liked the CD, because I felt like I heard it all before, but rapping and creating beats takes talent and the duo does have a raw talent that needs to be hones and find its own creative niche.
The beats on 117 are nice. They used R&B chicks to provide hooks and that’s always a plus. There is a kick ass piano used in one track, but in the end the beats are the best part of their songs. The rapping is good; the lyrics just need a freshness to them. The duo shows moments of brilliance and made me laugh with rhymes like You need to grab yourself a Snickers/We gonna be here for awhile/You stepping to me/Shit it’s like walking the Green Mile (Set it Off). Cats trying to act real hard/you’re getting knocked out like a fat girl in dodge ball. How about: Better pack my album with Excedrin tablets/this is head bobbing shit (All or Nothing).
The two really shines with the spitfire chorus in Can I, but then you have uninspired lines where the rappers actually complain about being able to smoke weed and not being able to eat right. That’s like a welfare recipient upset that they can’t afford clothes or food, but own cable television, cellular phones and a kick ass stereo system. I’m not feeling bad for you. It’s time to get your priorities straight.
There is no question that A-Bomb and Hype have the talent, but they lack any real originality to separate them from the pack. They fall into the trap of rapping about what high society people expect them to rap about. Instead of being the next so and so, be the first Bomb and Hype. Break some barriers and change the game.
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