Bo-Rat - Project Cutty (2008)

Many a good rapper have sprung from, or at least participated in, the battle scene. From the freestyle days of Scribble Jam (attended by rappers like PEACE, Astronautalis, H-Bomb, and Qwel) to the more modern written era (of which rappers like Noah23, Met Fly, Geechi Gotti, and Locksmith have been involved with.) Today's post is from a rapper best known for his time in the battle scene but who is also, even in that arena, often overlooked: Bo-Rat's 2008 album "Project Cutty." 

Bo-Rat is an LA rapper who was very involved in the West Coast freestyle battle scene in the mid-late 2000s, having competed in competitions like Scribble Jam, Jumpoff, Brainstorm, and Tourettes. He did well in that scene, though he never quite made the jump to the written era. He did, however, put out music for a short period of time before ultimately leaving the rap game behind. "Project Cutty" is his debut album. 

Having grown up in the Bay, you can definitely hear a lot of that hyphy bouncy sound influence throughout the album. There's nothing groundbreaking about the production, but it still sounds good overall. Lyrically, there's a lot of bragging and battle rhymes, as to be expected, with some introspection and party rhymes thrown in. Style is definitely the highlight. Like many from the era, Bo-Rat knew how to cram multis and internals! He has a standard delivery style, but also deviates from it a bit throughout the album (sometimes successfully, sometimes not.) Battle-friends Pass, The Saurus, Illmaculate, Ex-I, and Lush One all stop by to drop verses as well. 

The album isn't incredible and it definitely sounds dated in places, but fans of West Coast indie rap from the late 2000s are likely to find some jewels on the project. The album was mainly available via CD on tours and battle events, but was also briefly available online when it initially dropped. It seems to have disappeared, however, from the nets, so we bring it to you here today. The rip is an old online one (non-scene I believe.) Enjoy!

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