Zeal & Pristine

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Be Legendary by Jimmy Waters

Be legendary, my friends. Not only is that my advice for this week but it's also the name of IE native Jimmy Waters' latest album. The 22-track album shows you just how serious Jimmy is about the music because you rarely see that from an independent artist nowadays.

"How I See It" is the lead-off song and although it's the intro it doesn't necessarily feel like one. It plays more like a single and is a great start with what sounds like Larry June-influenced production. The raps are anything but Larry, though. Full of player shit and fly lines but it's done with Jimmy's unique tone, cadence, and style.

As far as standout songs go “Front Row” is high up on the list. Jimmy is manifesting his come-up, three songs deep and the production hasn't fallen off one bit.

Muddy kicks under a hook that acts as a repeatable affirmation to adopt into your own life it's a song that simply works whether it's first thing in the morning or being played on the aux cord on a late-night drive. Efforts like this, “Can't Deny It”, “Bumpin Oldies”, and “Early Mornings Late Nights” show Jimmy in his best both rap-wise and theme-wise. Fly bars but also motivation music that handcuffs your brain and rings off in your mind throughout the day.

Now "In The Benz" is my personal favorite. I currently don't have a Benz but I promise this is in the rotation when I get one...Shit, it made the honda feel like a Benz for what it's worth. It reminds me of prime Dom Kennedy but updated with fresher verses from Jimmy. He's best in this pocket and should expand on it. The sequencing this far into the album is just about as perfect as it can be. It's like the perfect kickback playlist that you can let play from front to back.

I say all of this to say that Be Legendary is a very solid introduction to Jimmy Waters. I would like to hear him work with a few more producers because he has a rap style and voice that can mesh well with many different sounds. It has a lot of replayability which is the most important thing to have in a 20+ song album. As long as he continues at this pace Jimmy will in fact "Be Legendary"