Action Bronson & Party Supplies

Blue Chips (the new mixtape by Action Bronson and producer Party Supplies) is Bronson's best work to date. Bronson's precision wordplay and complex metaphors work well over Supplies' R&B and soul samples. Well-used samples like Aaron Neville's "Hercules" and the Flamingos' "I Only Have Eyes for You" get totally rethought as the basis for "Hercules" and "Thug Love Story 2012." As always, the food metaphors are thick on the floor, as are sex rhymes and ridiculous boasts – Bronson compares his looks to those of JFK on "Steve Wynn" – but "Hookers at the Point" has Bronson taking things in a new direction. Bronson creates a whole narrative with three distinct characters in just under three minutes. This sort of high concept storytelling rap is new ground for Bronson and further proof that he's one of the most interesting talents in recent years. Both Bronson and Supplies have admitted that Blue Chips was kind of an off-the-cuff effort, with quickly made beats and equally rapidly made rhymes. If this is what Bronson is capable of when he's just fooling around, then his next official album should be nothing short of genius.