Looking for a music project that is straight to the point, full of bars and lyricism and no-nonsense production? Good, you don’t have further to look. Fort Lauderdale’s own, Charlee B has an EP out, titled ‘Nowadays’, which gives you all of the above listed. Coming in at 5 songs and spanning just 16 minutes, this project is easy to listen to. Don’t be misinformed though, Charlee’s flows on the songs offered will definitely keep you on your toes and draw you in. Without further delay, let’s get right into the track-by-track review.
1. Liars and Truths
This track starts off sounding very serious, dark tone all throughout. If any song screams, “I’m setting the record straight” it would be this one. Charlee Bravo starts off by saying “Tell em, they should get the f**ckin story right…” as if to let it be known that there are misconceptions or lies about him. He also warns, “Don’t let me catch you in a lie…” which could mean he could catch those individuals who do not view him properly with the truth and also, there could be consequences for them if he personally finds them in their lies. While all of that is happening, you can hear the skull-rattling bass kicking in, helping him assert his seriousness. At about the 1:30 mark, things get really fun. The flow changes to a more rapid pace and blends in perfectly with the beat that accompanies it. This whole section from 1:30 to 2:10 is what will take you on an unexpected ride, with both the lyricism and delivery of it.
Notable Lyrics:
“Tell em, they should get the f**ckin story right. Don’t let me catch you in a lie”!
2. Mushroom Confessions
Next up is ‘Mushroom Confessions’. It instantly sounds like a trip in audio form. Don’t let the druggy-sounding production take away from the song though. Charlee starts the song with the setting as a dream, a bad one that is. He says that he had a bad dream that he turned into a fiend, doing things that he shouldn’t necessarily be doing and in places he should not be. There is this sense of betrayal, as the lyrics go on to say, “…Supermanin all the bullets, from the snipers in the bushes, who claim to be my brotha…”. Although filled with imagery that makes his surroundings and concerns seem all pessimistic, there is a silver lining in it. Charlee tells us that “This song is confession/Clear my conscious, free my demons/Found the keys to all my shackles/Earn my freedom, earn forgiveness from creator…”. Through all of the negativity, there still is this sense of therapy that helps him in his confessing and concerns that he has, making for great internal reflection.
Notable Lyrics:
“…go deeper in my psyche, clear my eyes without the Visine…”
3. L.O.V.E Music
Self-reflection is still apart at this point, but there is some “bounce” to this song that helps lighten things up a bit. A different tempo is offered here. Charlee Bravo makes it pretty obvious by now that he will capture your attention with his first line of his first verse. “It’s pretty f*ckin obvious, I haven’t learned from my mistakes…”. Many of us have been at this point in realization where we know that we have messed up but still continue in our ways. It takes a big step to admit that, especially to begin a song with such a confession. This is not a song to snooze through. After being open, Charlee brings that fast flow of his back, explaining that he doesn’t do this music thing for the girls or the money but he does it because he is passionate about it. One of the mainstays of the song is him saying, “I just…L.O.V.E music.” The essence of the song is an ode to his passion for music.
Notable Lyrics:
“When I spit, I decapitate the faculty..”
“Why you bein sarcastic, when I feel fantastic”?
4. F**K Yo 9 to 5
Nearing the end of the EP, Charlee Bravo doesn’t let the internal focus of himself go away. Kicking things off by telling us, “I been thinkin, I been thinkin, how to get my life in order…”. All this rapped on a very spacy-sounding beat. As the song progresses, it seems like all he wants to do is be left alone as he proclaims “I just wanna live my life and blow my loud”! From how he says this, it seems like it’s in the best interest of others to let him be. Also, one could infer that Charlee has been bothered and wants to just live a stress-free life, as we all aspire to. 1:24, the beat switches to a more euphoric sounding melody, almost making one feel as though you’re suspended mid-air, just experiencing the song itself. Pair this with an intense flow over it and it makes for a very interesting listen.
Notable Lyrics:
“You vs. me? You can change that subject”!
“Everybody want my f*ckin information. I turned into topic of conversation”.
5. Special K
The last song on the EP is very direct. Charlee Bravo takes no prisoners, as he starts things off saying, “All of you n***as is dead to me”, letting it be known that none of the others in his way are his focus. In line with the rest of the project, the production is serious and helps convey the tone and his message perfectly. Intense and directed bass pushes his agenda, as well as very subtle high hats and snares join in too. While all of this is happening, Charlee tells it plainly “I can’t take it, I can’t hear yo sh*t”! This was indeed a track to inform his competition and women that try to drain his energy that they are non-existent to him, ending the EP with a bang and a very direct statement.
Notable Lyrics:
“All of you n**gas is dead to me”!
“All them opinions, you sound like a hater/ Get sprayed up/ got Haitians that’s waitin…”
The Verdict
This EP is definitely recommended. It gets the job done in 5 songs and the production is up to par as well. The project was released on December 13th of 2017 and we expect big things to follow in the new year from Bravo. The link to stream NOWADAYS is listed below as well as Charlee Bravo’s social media handles. Keep your eye out for this EP and don’t sleep on Charlee Bravo.
Nowadays EP:
https://song.link/NowadaysEp
Follow Charlee Bravo
On Twitter: @charleeeb
On Instagram: @charleebravo_
