Earlier this year I introduced you to Kamron Bahani a New York emcee. Along with that introduction came his debut project “DSM VI”. I felt it was a clever EP that really gave a face to a lot of the mental health issues we face. I’m a sucker for any artist who actually opens themselves up personally, but to add to that (and I’ve said this a million times) he has raw talent, flow and vocabulary. Now we’re here with his first full length project “By The River”, ten tracks deep, let’s jump in.
There’s more going on this time around with Kamron Bahani, more subjects, more rapid fire flow and more experiments. “JoeBuddenMightLikeSomeOfMyShit” starts the album off, with Bahani going in. To me though the real showstopper is “Pistola” a true showcase of Bahani’s abilities and honestly a track I think we’ll be hearing more of soon. In the age of the Lil Yachtys, Futures etc, Bahani mixes a bit of vintage with new school.
For the most part Bahani’s experiments works, sometimes though it comes off a bit jarring or flat. “Ride or Die” is a tale of heartbreak, Kamron Bahani, grabs you by the heartstrings from the minute he starts rapping. However then the hook comes and the lyrics, again are perfect and fit the track, but Bahani is no singer. Some backing vocals or even someone else singing the hook would’ve given the track more life, with Bahani it slowed the cadence and flow of the track. “Common” faces something of the same problem, “Scootz” Bahani tears the beat to shreds, but the hook is something we’ve heard many songs before this one and doesn’t really offer anything different.
“By The River” is a slightly less focused effort in comparison to his previous work in “DSM VI”. This isn’t entirely a bad thing because he’s extending his reach, however the execution in some of the hooks and singing doesn’t fit. Kamron Bahani comes through again with no guest features giving him the brunt of the work on this project and it works. Bahani is still learning his place in this and “By The River” is a very encouraging stepping stone as he moves forward in his career.