It only seemed like a matter of weeks between Milwaukee rapper Reggie Bonds’ release of his mammoth statement of racially aggrieved and prideful purpose, The Black Tape: A Black Ass Rap Album, and his latest multi-track project, Gallery 101. Whereas the former stands a thematically ambitious and sonically eclectic declaration, the latter offers a more reflective and pensive side of a rhymer better known for boldness.
On the new release, Bonds speaks with what sounds like genuine woundedness when it comes unpleasant personal experiences related to racism. The project’s producer, YSP, refashions snippets of ‘70s soul and loops inspired by the era to match the steely despair and uneasy hope Bonds articulates in metrical forms that display growth during the short interlude between Black and Gallery. If Cream City hip-hop is ever going to regularly receive high-profile national recognition, Reggie Bonds is talented a figure as any to lead that charge.
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