Kings fall and rise. Dynasties die off. Some Kings live forever through their esoteric crusades and escapades. Drake would rap over one of his famous intros: “Man, these kids wear crowns over here and everything is all right.” Contrarily, J.Cole would say in “Fire Squad”:
“Ain’t gonna be no more kings.
Be wary of any man that claims,
Because deep down he clings onto the need for power.”
While the validity of self-proclaimed Kings is typically murky territory, one fact stands: Heavy is the crown. Always. A true King mentality’s is not a sense of insecurity but the mentality of being responsible enough to juggle the weight of maintaining your Kingdom, your people and power. King Bogus of Savannah, GA, understands this concept more than anyone.
Throughout his entire rap career filled with devastatingly powerful bars and nationally recognized songwriting skills, King Bogus has carried the weight of the dreams of his entire city, his daughter, kinfolk and more. The 9er is King Bogus’ gift to himself and his kingdom.
1.) Crown of Thorns (Savannah’s Best Artist Response):
“And I don’t want to hear any more questions.”
King Bogus won the award for Savannah’s Best Artist on January 16th, 2019, and his intro to what may be his magnum opus is a candid reflection of how it feels to carry such a title from the area he hails from. King Bogus comes out lyrically swinging, effortlessly floating with his trademark 3rd beat wordplay style to sneak in lines like, “Weight watchers, I get a pound and break it down.” He mediates on his power while manipulating the 6 and 9 flip in a way that you wish Drake would have done in the right way for the “9” track on VIEWS. Bogus’ eclectic style still capitalizes on the opportunity for his bars to hit on the 1st and 3rd beat of each measure as he also recanted his humble origins of having to trap under the street lights.
2.) I Got It
“My flow’s cold like runny noses and light coughin’/
I said I’m cold, not cool, I’m like Carlton, /
I said I’m cold, I’m stone cold like Steve Austin”
To be very honest, King Bogus has BEEN “got it” with his Hip Hop artistry and this track is just a conformational aphorism to his life’s ultimate testimony to that fact. Bogus’ chopped and screwed sample works as he molds it into a lane, an authentically Savannah one at that, all of his own. King Bogus flexes his hook writing skills while flowing like a true word wizard over the beat until the hook fades out the song in an applause worthy way.
3.) The Rhymer from The 9er:
“If you can’t give what you owe, then give your seat up.”
If the title sounds like a nursery rhyme title, then yes, King Bogus is for the kids bro-word to old Kanye. This track is acapella, where, for 1-minute straight, King Bogus can show his versatility in being serious or annihilating a track just for fun.
4.) Funeral:
“I know the niggas that hated gon’ act like they know me though/
So please make that Phantom all white on white so I can ride just like the Holy Ghost.”
This track addresses the fact that even though King Bogus has undying love for his city, he rejects all fake tears and energy for his funeral when the grim reaper eventually does come-a-knockin’. Showcasing his trademark heartfelt crooning ballad about the gravity of genuine support in a King’s quest, the instrumental truly gives underground Hip Hop vibes reminiscent of the early 2010s.
5.) Buttons:
“When I’m alone in my room, sometimes I stare at the wall/
And in the front of my mind, I know that I gotta BALL.”
King Bogus has a wonderfully uncanny ability to turn simplistic concepts into splendid rap tracks. The intro of the piano sample in this song once again defines a Savannah gothic-upbeat rap sound. Bogus shows his versatility once more by being an entire choir on his own with the hook whilst being in the best pocket of his flow as exhibited throughout the entire project thus far.
6.) Get It:
“When you live like this, you turn haters into fans/
They tell you that you made it when you make your diamonds dance.”
Got it? King Bogus will always “get it” in terms of sharp raps. Track 6 is no exception. “Get It” is a track you can smoke to, and arguably, he splash dives into his best flow pocket that might even beat the pocket from his last track. With the Southern trap crank, accent and memorable hook, King Bogus proves that he is a one-man phenom. He even spits facetious bars like “I’m ’bout to wear out a sew-in.”
7.) GoGo
“I make it multiply and I still run my division.”
The only disappointment from this whole project to me was that the “GoGo” track missed the opportunity to sample a DMV Gogo track, but you can attribute that to King Bogus keeping it straight Savannah and Southern from the beginning. His particular flow with the song was more than enough evidence beyond a reasonable doubt to show that he has indeed ghostwritten for Missy Elliot and more artists, as he told me prior to the release of this project.
8.) Show and Tell
“Comin’ Live from the Underground.”
You may not know what type of sound you’ll get when pressing play on a King Bogus track, but you know that the beat and attack are both going to be unique. Show and Tell is no exception, with the instrumental sounding like a secret Super Mario underwater level. In this fluent track, King Bogus delivers a noteworthy string of punchlines about the birds and bees that truly makes the reader exclaim either internally or externally: “Wow, this n*gga truly IS nice.”
With how hard King Bogus attacked the beat and put Savannah on it’s back, he made this second to last track his best flex of his songwriting range. In fact, this became the track I replayed the most when listening through the whole project.
9er.) Awesome Sauce:
“Life’s a movie, you can’t rewind/
Got a couple hunnies made a Beeline to me/
And they just want me time, funny/
Ever since my name became a Beehive Buzzin’
In this box of chocolates project in which you don’t know what you’re going to get, “Awesome Sauce” gives a futuristic outro. It is a smoking anthem and rich beat one in the same. With the violins polymerized with the instrumental so smoothly during the last verse, a true King reflectes on his Kingdom’s past, present and future.
Due to his immense skill and insatiable hunger, King Bogus journey is far from over due. The 9er is a triumph for his city and his own artistry.
Kings fall and rise. Dynasties die off. However, some Kings live forever through their esoteric crusades and escapades, with King Bogus indeed being one of those Kings no matter how heavy the crown gets.
Stream the project on all streaming platforms today.
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