Boy Barrentino Delivers on Sophomore Album, 'Battle With Myself'

Theres not much bad I could ever say about hip hop. But if I was asked to find one of the flaws, I'd have to admit that a lot of the emcees tote themselves as real, but few rappers actually give listeners an authentic glimpse into their lives. In this sense, Alabama rapper, Boy Barrentino is an anomaly. He recently dropped his sophomore album entitled "Battle With Myself". On the project, he gives listeners a first-hand, lyrically guided window into his mind.

The 22 year old who hails from Reform, Alabama put both feet and hands into this project. The 9 song album with features from LNB, Cortex Mckinnon, and Tendoe Double K, is laced with fresh lyrics, mostly mellow vibes, and a couple harder hitting bangers. The first track that caught my ear was Don't Tell Me. The retrospective and autobiographical lyrics on this track run as smooth as the looped sample and drum beat. All the elements gel together to give this song a polished yet down home feel. One of the highlights of the track is when he raps, "man, I don't know what it is with this generation, grown with no heart. Can't say I haven't done it too. I know that I play my part."

Worth It features Cortez Mckinnon is a real gem on the album. It's a trap love song; "thats what make you worth it." Barrentino's flow is a more melodic trap soul on the track.

On Late Night Ride and R.I.P. Boy Barrentino fuses progressive R&B vibes with rap to offer up some real mellow hip hop vibes. But the young MC really weaves some grittiness in on the latter track as he reflects on the brokenness he feels after losing someone close to him. His lyrics melodically express that sentiment as he sings, "I'm so broken, broken, broken. Got so much pain try to numb it with the smoking." One of his gifts is his ability to slip life stories into his verses without sacrificing mainstream appeal.

Born Seth Barrentine, he first started making music at the age of seven; by his eighteenth birthday he decided to stop f*cking around and take it seriously as a career. From the very start he had a talent for rapping, able to create catchy hooks and change flows seamlessly on his songs. Following in the footsteps of his idol Mac Miller, Barrentino refuses to be boxed in to one sub-genre. He often switches between rapping and singing on the same track - all without a single curse word.

Boy Barrentino dropped his first official mixtape in 2019, “ Tino Tapes ”. The project was a showcase of his musical range - with songs on it varied from mellow ballads to trap tracks. In 2020, he dropped a single called "Way Up". With this newest project, he is taking himself to the next level. "Battle With Myself" has all the elements Boy Barrentino needs to help him in his rise up the ladder. This is an album you should definitely hear. It has a broad based, universal appeal; I'm sure there's a song or two in there for your Spotify playlist.