Singer, author, painter, chef, exotic olive oil taster, and rapper, New York native Action Bronson continues to be a shining example of what it means to be a creative.
I first heard Action on Mac Millers “Red Dot Music” back in 2013. I was immediately drawn to his lyrical flow and his word choice. If another rapper were to write about wearing alligator skin boots, they would most likely say just that. “I got alligator skin boots” Not Action Bronson. In his out of left field way, he comes up with:
“I'm still twisted, rocking lizards from a strange river”
Finding different and odd ways of saying what he wants to say adds a level of poeticism to the music. This, as a lyricist, is something I really enjoy and draw inspiration from when writing my own verses.
His lyrics aren’t the only thing that draw me in, of course. Working closely with producers like Statik Selektah and The Alchemist, Action’s albums are never short on great instrumentals. Often sampling jazz, blues and similar genres, a large portion of Action Bronson’s discography has that “crate digging” vintage sound. This means there’s a lot of guitar, keys, bass guitar, and other analog instruments. To me, this is refreshing in a genre largely dominated by synths, 808 bass and other electronic instruments. Often times when making instrumentals I begin to feel less and less inspired, but this is remedied with picking up a guitar, bass or dusting off the keyboard and plinking out notes. When that doesn’t yield anything, I go in search for some jazz samples ripe for slicing and remixing. Mixing “real” instruments into my songs makes me feel more like an artist. Just another thing Action and his collaborators taught me.
As I listed earlier, there’s more to the man than just the music. Author of multiple books, creator of his album covers, chef and television host, Action shows he’s anything but a one trick pony. I remember the only Snapchat content I got invested in was his dating show “Hungry Hearts”
Back then, I was in math class thinking how much I respected the ability to take his main character personality, and repurpose it in different creative spaces.
Within all of these creative ventures, we can see grind and work ethic, but if that isn’t enough, look at his physical transformation. During the pandemic, he got heavily invested in working out and lost over one hundred pounds. Not only did he get into fitness, he stays in it. Even when on tour he’s doing workouts before he goes on stage to perform. Dedication to his art and creative outlets, as well as himself physically and mentally, reminds me that there is value in other things outside of making music and collecting plays.
Creativity and hard work are two things that I have always held in high esteem, and this artist exemplifies both over and over again. All thanks and praise to Action Bronson, one of my biggest influences. If you would like to experience his work for yourself, please click the links below.
-Twoside
Listen to Action Bronson at:
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