This is the second effort from Queens Emcee Bobby J from Rockaway. Arriving as a protégé of Kwamé, he would begin turning heads in the underground during the summer of 2019 on the strength of his debut full-length Summer Classics along with Statik Selektah's debut EP Endless Summerthe latter being my introduction to his music alongside his self-titled 1 Mic & a Drum EP. Bobby then joined forces with Detroit veteran Hush to drop the collaborative album 718 II 313 last summer, of which they had the honor of playing me 80% in a studio a year before it even dropped. Nef produced it Radio Days EP almost 2 years ago and teaming up with Dom Dirtee to get us Higher up.
The title track kicks off with this weird beat wanting to take it to a new level, while “Once Again” organically follows the boom bap route so Bobby can talk about being on this bitch with hardcore composer. 2nd single “Vibin' (All By Myself)” sets a more playful tone by discussing the related topic of having fun alone in your room listening to music and after the “Mr. Walt Checks In” interlude, lead single “Dangerous” leaves the mindset them with the apt title to be known when faced with them.
Paul Wall joins Bobby on the 3rd and final single “I Gotta” to both go hard with their respective groups, while “Outta This Club” tells the DJ not to stop playing that heater. After the “Tape Stand” skit, “Round N Round” gets their heads spinning over kicks and snares that lead into “Get Away” passionately feeling the need to escape. “Hello” comes to a close, saying it deserves more exposure, and “Break Me Down” ends by refusing to break down.
It has already been 5 years since then Summer Classicsbut Higher up coming off a few EPs and group projects that allow him to elevate us with Dom Dirtee making him do it. Majik Ninja Entertainment's in-house producer Fritz the Cat is excellent, Dom's production reasserts his status as a hardcore songwriter, and Bobby has no guest MCs, unlike last time, for 36 minutes.
Rating: 9/10
