In an era where being a one lane artist is over, Hollyhood Shumpo has multiple
tools that'll catapult him to the next level. The Schenectady native is best known for his beer smashing, in your face energy that has led thousands to gravitate towards his sound. Following massive suspense, the Capital Region star has released his long-awaited debut solo project “Jalen,” a 10-track heater where he leaves his comfort zone repeatedly and lets his fans into his personal trials and tribulations.
In "Jalen," we have a concise, fluent, and enjoyable album full of replay value. The project’s creative direction, its carefully selected features, running time and track selection were entirely choreographed by Shumpo himself. This artistic agency is such a relief from the recurring norm of oversaturation of poorly curated albums in the streaming age. When asked about his motivation behind the project Shumpo said, "My brother passing for sure was the main motivation behind the project, [he] was a huge supporter of my music, he pushed me a lot." From my first full listen, you can tell this album is bigger than just music. It comes straight from the heart, purely for the love of his brother, his city and his art. Hollywood displays deep emotions and relatable experiences on standout tracks like "FOE", where he raps,
"I'm from the gutter little n**** straight out the dirt, where the sun don't shine putting n****s on a shirt, where the n****s ride with nines just in case they get merked, yeah we used to the pain, yeah that shit don't hurt."
The cultivation of the best project to come out of Schenectady comes with the help of a wide range of in house producers, Helodanny, Thrasher Beats, and Dapper KENDA. My personal favorite track from the album is "Jack ya Honey," where Shumpo links up with one of the best drill rappers in Albany, Ozone Guala. The two creatives
generated a banger you want to blast when riding around in your whip. On the album’s other breakout tracks like "WuzzleWorld" ft. Jalen da god, we hear a new shift in sound from the creative, a slightly autotuned, drowned out approach, that matched with his genuine, outgoing presence, make for a perfect end to the twenty-six-minute journey. More from Shumpo below:
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