B.O.Y Wonder teased us with a few tracks from his new EP VICES a while back and now we are excited to know that he finally dropped the highly anticipated project. Entirely produced by Zoocci Coke Dope, in VICES B.O.Y Wonder tells very intricate tales of love, lust, greed and all sorts of immorality that young adults are facing on a daily.
The EP tells a story of youngsters who are victims of lifestyle and the pressure which comes with it. This is a 12 track project which sees Wonder collaborate with PJay, 3TWO1 Lemapi, Teeza, Phoenix Flame, Melo Moore and Zoocci Coke Dope.
On this project, Wonder realized how important the presentation of his work was and one can hear it from the beat selections. For the mere fact that Zoocci Coke Dope produced this project in its entirety is telling.
Zoocci represents a voice that is not quite mainstream but has the potential to change the manner in which mainstream music is perceived. Wonder also went for very catchy hooks and almost all the joints either start with a hook or a soundbite from a movie. That either captures the listener right away or not and in our case, it was a compelling listen.
Up until now, B.O.Y Wonder has been streamlined in the style of hip hop that he made. He mostly catered for the underground fan who considered lyricism a very important part when it comes to the content of the raps- there was little wiggle room in terms of experimentation. But on this particular project, he has gone the complete opposite of what he has been dropping all along.
No doubt, the content of this particular EP is addressed to a typical 20 something year old who faces a fragmented self-image between who is wants to be and who he actually is- lived experiences and all. The swagger of the rhymes on joints like Drugs and Tell The World is so contemporary that it is a no brainer that Wonder carved them especially for the young ones.
But the beautiful thing about this project is that he doesn’t lose his voice and his identity in the process; it is wrapped in more contemporary flows but it is present. The songs are steeped in lyrical prowess and intelligent similes and metaphors on all the joints but on a song like Dirty Diana and Save My Soul (SMS), it is particularly evident. Plus the emotive storytelling in Falling is also something we appreciated.
When a fan of his asked him why he decided to make this EP, Wonder responded: “Just an observation of the growing trends in music which trickle into our daily lives. The search for different content to consume.”
Peep the EP below!
