A good friend of MESH., Benjamin “B[dot] Jay” Barnes, has released his much anticipated mixtape, DiamondsDunks&BackPackz. So MESH decided to review the album and post it for your listening pleasure. Hope you enjoy!
Success. Fashion&Conciousness.
Or as Benjamin “B[dot] Jay” Barnes would say: DiamondsDunks&Backpackz.
The highly anticipated mixtape from the young Virginia MC who through his clothing line (Weirdoe Clothing), entertaining tweets (@bdotjay on Twitter) and music, has built a legion of fiercely loyal fans; hit the online circuit as the latest installment in the budding career of the artist known simply as “Bdot.”
DiamondsDunks&Backpackz, a representation of the three elements which Bdot believes embody him as a rapper, is a personal diary of sorts, taking the listener into Barnes’ life with reckless abandon: “I want the listeners to get a glimpse into my mind. People think they know me through Twitter, but really they don’t.”
We know a little more now.
57 minutes of dope beats, undeniable steez, and catchy lyrics have shown us a lot more than we knew before about the Twitter celebrity. Bdot likes sex, dresses better than you, has more swag [and intelligence], and can’t stand that girl Roxanne.
DDB serves as the seeming establishment of Bdot as a serious MC. Having produced most of the beats himself –with additions from producers Static and Work Hard of The Legion production team– and gone through the entire album with few features, listeners learn a lot about Bdot. Whether using witty wordplay over booming bass to tell you how unstoppable he is (“Auto[dot]”), revealing his darker outcast persona (“Purple Clouds”), or discussing his budding, yet explicit, love and sex life (“Me&MyBae”), Bdot shows with DDB that he is not afraid to expose himself to the masses, a trait that proves helpful to the overall quality of the album.
DDB is at its best however, not when Barnes is at his most jubilant, but the contrary. It is on songs like “iLL.Ness,” where Barnes explores darker subjects such as his mother almost having an abortion while carrying him, and “Heart Collision” where he discusses the failed love between himself and on-and-off-again soulmate Roxanne, where Bdot is at his best. Listeners can feel the pain in Bdot’s voice as he speaks of the love run afoul and consequently are drawn closer to the artist than before.
The album however does have its weak points. The strength Bdot possesses as a producer sometimes overshadows his talents as a lyricist. It is clear that Bdot is still a budding MC as he has yet to find a comfortable niche in his delivery. With sometimes choppy and inconsistent lyrics that are oftentimes overshadowed by superb beats, Barnes has a staunch task ahead if he wants to be seen as more than just a teeny bop hipster rapper. His flows seem to always leave you wanting just a little more, and it is not until he can totally capture his audience, that he will be able to have a complete record.
“It’s all about how you carry yourself,” Barnes admits “I jus do what I think is dope… it’s about your personality.”
Personality isn’t the problem.
Personality has gotten Bdot nearly 3000 followers on Twitter. Personality has led fans to download DDB over 500 times in less than 5 hours. Personality, has gained the respect of notable MC’s Mickey Factz, and The Cool Kids. Bdot’s personality is fine. It’s the intangibles he has to fine tune if he really wants to be a successful artist.
MESH.
The shirts are about $26 a pop.
Aaron
