An appreciation of Action Bronson

It took me a while to really “understand” Action Bronson, but once it hit me, he became one of my favorite rappers of recent times. His whole “thing,” for the most part, is just saying random lines, oftentimes completely unrelated to each other, that just sound really damn cool. Lyrically, he likes to put himself in absurd, often romanticized, situations, reference obscure sports figures, and He has a great sense of comedic timing, and he really values good production and use of samples, which are my two favorite elements of rap music. Half Brooklyn jew, and the other half “off the boat” Albanian, he’s got one of the most unique and distinctive styles in rap today.

Besides that, he seems like a really genuinely nice dude. Every time I see him in interviews or on podcasts, he seems to be pretty engaged and genuinely interested, and he has a great reputation for taking time for fans and having real conversations with them if he has the time in public settings.

He and I also share a love of cooking and good food, with Bronson having hosted the show, Fuck, That’s Delicious, for almost 10 years now. I highly recommend it if you want something alternative to the Food Network. He’s a pretty accomplished chef in his own right and made the transition to rapping full-time after snapping his leg in the kitchen. Hardcore.

I’ll link one of his cooking videos below.

Chicken cutlets- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkb8OFTBxVU&t=24s

Mama, if you’re reading this, I apologize for the vulgarity.

Easy Rider

Action’s song, “Easy Rider,” contains one of my favorite samples in all of rap, using a Turkish (I think?) song from 1973 called “Adımız Miskindir Bizim” by a group called Mazhar ve Faut. The first line that really made me laugh out loud comes from the first verse, and I think I’ll just let it speak for itself.

The best of all, had a midget Puerto Rican at my beck and call
Best believe that there was neck involved
Fucked around and almost wrecked the Saab

The reference to Saab here is so outlandish, I love it. Any other rapper would’ve gone with a Lamborgini, maybe a Ferrari or Porsche, but no, he chose the now Defunct Swedish manufacturer. Action is for the people.

Link to video (I love the reference to the legend of Hendrix putting acid in his bandanas) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58RSC7HO9aU

Live (Gotta see him live at some point) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDXALSl3LAg

Sample – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbeErgE4quA&t=8s

Jaguar

Jaguar, another song of his with incredible use of sampling, this time featuring Loleatta Holloway‘s soulful “I Can’t Help Myself.” This song also has one of my favorite lines in all of music, one that I quote far too often, and the timing and delivery make it a great example of his comedic style.

“And jump over the hood of the Jaguar, like a jaguar”

Perfect timing, followed by an ad-libbed and disapproving “Aw, man, ah” in the back. This song is Bronson at his best “Bronson.”

Link – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngCWh_1ePs0

Sample – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0WycOO-FoI

I mentioned Action’s references to sports, with one of my favorite tunes of his being named for and dedicated to legendary Miami Dolphins fullback and Hall of Famer, Larry Csonka. Maybe not foreign to Phins fans or those who love the fullback position and think that one of the greatest travesties in the evolution of football is the lack of usage of fullbacks—let me stop before this turns into a football rant. But ask the average NFL fan under the age of 50, and they’ll probably have no idea who Csonka is. Action Bronson knows ball; don’t you damn forget it. There’s a cool piece ESPN did a while back about some of his sports lines, but the sports soundbite library has grown exponentially since. Link below.

Link to Action on some of his sports references – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ASclPvsTyo