by Dash Lewis (@gardenerjams)
Over the past few years, it seems as though Action Bronson’s spread himself a little thin. Beyond his sprawling discography—which includes seven full lengths, four mixtapes, and a handful of EPs—Bronson’s spent the last decade-plus dabbling in whatever interest crosses his mind. He’s penned cookbooks and a self-help guide, appeared in films, and starred in a few very charming reality series. As his star rose from the buzz generated by early projects like Dr. Lecter and Blue Chips, he suddenly had the ability to chase down ideas like “What if I could get paid to smoke lethal amounts of weed and watch Ancient Aliens with my friends?” While that particular show was a fun curiosity, it could be argued that such extracurricular dalliances distracted him from the electrifying music he was making at the onset of his career.
In October of 2018, Bronson announced he was leaving VICE Media—to whom he’d signed in 2012—with a series of fiery tweets. He claimed that operating under contract with the media company was stagnating his creativity. Based on his post-VICE output, it seems like he was making a valid point. In 2019 and 2020 respectively, Bronson dropped Lamb Over Rice and Only For Dolphins, both of which found him stretching his taste in production and rapping with a bit more of the unhinged mania he’d perfected a decade prior. He sounded adventurous again, perhaps more able to access his musical interests than when he was churning out all manner of content for VICE. Cocodrillo Turbo, Bronson’s latest record, is his most focused project since Mr. Wonderful. All of his best work treats music like Calvinball—meticulous and detailed worlds seemingly unspooling in a stream of consciousness. Cocodrillo is no different, as it loosely ties together a beasts-of-the-wilderness theme through nature show samples and a production palette of fuzzed-out, hungover psychedelia.
A lot of the record’s charm comes from the seemingly casual manner of its construction. Bronson often sounds like he’s rapping off the top; he uses a first-thoughts-best-thoughts approach to document the bizarre ideas that spill out with every bong rip exhalation. Each time the repeating “Turbo!” tag pops up, you can almost see him in the studio, holding a sampler and grinning wildly, finger hovering over the button. He’s a master of the absurdist boast, referring to himself as an “art exhibit” and explaining that his calm demeanor comes from taking lamaze classes. When he threatens to turn an opp’s “physical features [into] chopped cheese” on “Turkish,” he can barely finish the line without laughing. All of this is quite delightful, sucking you into a world where lines like “I’m in the Range, looking strange as shit” sound incredibly cool.
It’s a testament to Bronson’s weird, inviting persona that his collaborators eagerly enter this bonkers headspace. Conway and Hologram are both giddy and gross, imbuing their verses with sophomoric humor. Meyhem Lauren proves once again why he and Action are perfect sparring partners, matching Bronson’s penchant for outlandish braggadocio. The two of them take flights simply to sip their favorite wines, punch horses in the chin, and do pull ups while rocking truck jewels. “Zambezi,” a late album highlight featuring Roc Marciano, continues their streak of impeccable chemistry—it’s worth it alone to hear Marci rhyme “boss moves” with “horse poo.”
All of this works so well because the production team Bronson assembles—The Alchemist, Daringer, Roc Marciano, and Bronson himself—lean hard into a sound as scuzzy as it is psychedelic. Woozy, detuned synth loops stumble beneath chugging drums, spacey guitar solos pop in and out with wild abandon, and flute lines echo through warped tape delays. It feels like a jam session in a hotboxed garage, contributing mightily to the loose, off-the-cuff feel that gives the record so much of its appeal. It’s good to hear Bronson give in to his eccentricities more fully than in recent memory; he seems to be embracing himself again, which not only makes Cocodrillo Turbo one of the most enjoyable entries in his discography, but one of the most fun rap records of the year.