Harold Stallworth nicknames everything.
For the those keeping tabs, “Goose Egg,” a cut originally featured on DJ Frank White’s Bout That Life mixtape, is the first real Boldy James record to surface since his Alchemist-helmed LP dropped last fall. The modest buzz from My 1st Chemistry Set earned a cosign from Nas, a vague partnership with Mass Appeal Records, and a quiet stint on the superfluous rap feature circuit. But Boldy works best when left to his own devices. His guest verses are generally adequate, while his solo outings are downright blood-curdling. The second act, as they say, is where the plot thickens.
“Goose Egg” falls on the right side of sinister. Producer M Stacks loops the ghostly Franco Micalizzi sample last heard on Stalley and Rick Ross’ “Fountain of Youth.” Boldy simply leans on his strengths and does what he does best, furnishing the eerie beat with verses graving enough to be mistaken for hooks, and hooks dense enough to pass for verses.
