How does he do it? How is it even possible? Detroit underground rap fixture Boldy James has been a bafflingly prolific force for years. He has a way of doing things -- teaming up with individual producers to record full collaborative albums and then releasing those albums the way that some people change their socks. And they're all good! That's the crazy part. A few years ago, James' constant flood of new music was briefly interrupted, for the understandable reason that he suffered a life-threatening car accident. But now, James is again putting up absurd numbers. In 2024, Boldy James released three albums. We're less than two months into 2025, and James has already equaled that total.
Boldy James released two albums in January: Murder During Drug Traffic, with RichGains, and Permanent Ink, with Royal House Recordings. (Every Boldy James album is worth hearing, but Murder During Drug Traffic is really good.) Today, James follows up on those two records with the release of his new LP Token Of Appreciation. This time, it's a full-length team-up with the Brooklyn producer Chuck Strangers.
Chuck Strangers is a rapper, too. He came up in the Pro Era crew alongside Joey Bada$$, and he's put together an impressive career of his own. Last year, Strangers released a really good album called A Forsaken Lover's Plea. Strangers doesn't rap on Token Of Appreciation, though. Instead, he supplies '90s-style soul-sample beats, while Boldy James goes into the gravelly drug-dealer reminiscing that he does so well. I'm on my first listen right now, and it sounds beautiful. Below, stream Token Of Appreciation and watch the "Whale Fishing" video.
