CJ, BOP | Track Review 🎵

Back with his second drill single, “BOP,” Staten Island rapper CJ brings nothing particularly notable or game changing to the table.

“The CJ experiment appears to be nothing more than a cash grab,” Alphonse Pierre writes via Pitchfork about New York’s up-and-coming drill rapper, 🎙 CJ (Christopher Daniel Soriano, Jr.).  The entire article criticizes the legitimacy of the rapper, who’s ascended thanks to the Billboard Hot 100 top-20 hit, 🎵 “Whoopty”, released in 2020. Soriano has returned with his second drill single, 🎵 “BOP”, which like “Whoopty” that precedes, keeps things incredibly brief (< two minutes in this case).  So, is “BOP” worth even spending two minutes to partake of? Read on brothers and sisters – read on!

“I think they’re feelin’ my bop now, huh / We on top now,” CJ asserts on the chorus of “BOP.” He definitely has a point there, given the success of “Whoopty,” regardless of what any critics think. Anyways, this banger, produced by 🎛 An, finds Soriano totally feeling himself with the usual cliches and platitudes.  These include ‘being the shit,’ sex with any and everybody’s girls, and of course, drip to the nth degree.  Honestly, that’s the size of this purported “BOP” – it runs no deeper than that and certainly lacks any semblance of transcendence.  A deep message isn’t a requirement, but what does Soriano bring that’s ‘brand-new’ or particularly fresh? Crickets 🦗 – definitely crickets 🦗!

Final Thoughts 💭

The question was asked, is “BOP” worth even spending two minutes to partake of? For some, the answer will be yes.  Fair enough.  The argument is that CJ brings an aesthetic – a vibe – to the table.  For others, it’s nothing more than an okay/so-so rap record that features a hard-nosed backdrop, but really says nothing notable. Personally, I’m definitely more the latter than the former;  it’s a meh for me. 

🎙 CJ • 🎵 “BOP” • 🏷 Warner • 🗓 1.26.21

[📷: Warner]