This is the 3rd EP from Spring Valley, New York emcee King Kong Bundy. Originally starting out under the moniker G-Field, he released 2 mixtapes Road reliability & Bail money before Benny the Butcher signed him to ever-growing indie label Black Soprano Family Records for his debut EP in 2019 Live Buddy Life. A follow up EP The lost files happened to be spotted by B$F last Black Friday, and now that the predecessor's 1st anniversary is coming up next month, Bundy is back a week after Q4 2024 so he can say some Stories from the Castle.
After the introduction of “Heavyweight”, the remix “Where Was You At?” featuring Funch the Camden Kid really kicks off the EP with the two piano-driven artists talking about almost quitting wanting to know where their friends' lows were, while SuperChilly's “Do or Die” takes a cloudier approach and doesn't ask for nothing more than trust. “Gotta Get Mine” works over a soulful boom bap beat to put his life on the line by taking risks while “Mozart's Keys” talks tough about staying in the trap since it doesn't get boring. “Kan't Sleep” ends Tales from Castle soulfully discussing that you can't sleep these days.
Live Buddy Life & The lost files they're both good places to start for any B$F fan who hasn't gotten to grips with King Kong Bundyy yet, but I'd recommend Stories from the Castle once you have a better idea of who he is and where he comes from to add him artistically to a new level. Even though both features are fine, the Spring Valley artist gives listeners a taste of the personal experiences he had on Castle Avenue with the production healthily balancing boom bap & trap sounds.
Rating: 7/10
