Dirt Bag

Chronique

L.A. rapper Blueface drew equal parts fanfare and controversy, hooking some listeners and losing others completely with his unconventional, often off-rhythm rap style. While intentionally loose with his bars and general presentation, Blueface's nonchalant approach sometimes overshadowed his gift for clever lyrical punch lines and surreal, effective imagery. The eight-song EP Dirt Bag follows several mixtapes as well as enormous pop hits like his viral single "Thotiana." The songs here are more produced and musically focused than some of his earlier tunes, leaning into both modernized trap trends and old school West Coast hip-hop production trickery. Songs like "Disrespectful" and "Bleed It" are stacked with thick, G-funk bass lines and synth sounds that feel dialed in from golden-age hip-hop. "Daddy," featuring Rich the Kid, is a whirlwind of lewd sex rhymes and hyperconfident yet silly boasts, approaching a level of over-the-top bragging that suggests the rappers in the studio grinning at how wild they're getting. That self-awareness is a big part of Blueface's charm. On "Bleed It," he rhymes "You've been rapping, I just do this on the weekends," suggesting he knows he's offbeat, he knows his lyrics are fantastical and exaggerated, he knows he's just having fun, and everyone else should be, too. That low-key charm carries much of Dirt Bag, but even in its brief form, the EP feels half-cooked. For every great tune (like the Offset-featuring jaunt "Bussdown"), there's a forgettable one. Five of the eight tracks feature big-name guests like Lil Pump, Mozzy, and the Game, but nothing rises quite to the infectious power of Blueface's best-known tracks. While it's a strong effort, Dirt Bag feels like more of the sound and presentation that's already been established rather than something that could elevate Blueface to a new level. The rapper's music is largely powered by his enigmatic persona, and while that's on full display with Dirt Bag, the EP doesn't do much more than offer a few new angles from which to observe Blueface in all his enthralling and witty weirdness.

© Fred Thomas /TiVo