A Star is Born

When I initially downloaded A Long Night By Myself and gave it a listen, I had swirling thoughts. It called for a replay. Like a late jumper at the end of an NBA game: was it a two or three-pointer? Was there a foot on the line? Did he get the shot off in time? This calls for yet another replay. During that third listen I thought: how could Troy B. mix and match musical samples from Lil' Kim and Puff Daddy, Erykah Badu, Three 6, Ricky Rozay, Drizzy Drake with such ease? Without altering his distinctive style. And the way he managed to sprinkle in a Kayne rant and some autobiographical references from Tupac Resurrection as comical, relative transitions. Pure genius. That's how.

In stride with releasing his second mixtape, Troy just touched down in Austin, Texas for South by Southwest. Turkey Bowl, a film in which he stars in, is an official SXSW accepted film. Go ahead, check out the trailer on YouTube.

Troy B. is a like a breath of fresh air. Both figuratively and literally speaking. It was this bright personality that originally committed me to a review of his work. In my opinion, the Florida native is atypical for the region. Most rappers from the Sunshine State boast about retailing dope from the keys they traffic through the Port of Miami. Like a true artist, he is first passionate about the culture, his contribution to it and rolls with the punches that we refer to as opportunities, with a smile.