It’s almost impossible to count all the rap careers that have been stalled, derailed, or outright destroyed by the legal system; far too many of our most vital lyricists have spent an unfair amount of years incarcerated, made examples of by a racist state that wants to silence dissident Black voices. For years it seemed like New Orleans native B.G. might be one of these unfortunate cases, a sad story of what could have been, as he spent almost the entirety of the 2010s behind bars on felony weapons charges.
After serving a long 11 years, B.G. was finally freed in September 2023. While there might be a reasonable fear of being left behind by an ever-changing marketplace, the former Hot Boys rapper seems to have adjusted effortlessly to his much-deserved position as an OG in the rap game, immediately hopping on the “Yonce Freestyle” with Kevin Gates and Sexyy Red after his release. The collaborative Choppers & Bricks alongside Gucci Mane marks the king of Chopper City’s first official project since he teamed up with Boosie Badazz on 2010’s 225504.
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B.G. might not have had timeless hits like Juvenile or the mainstream crossover success of Lil Wayne — although his diamond-encrusted debut single “Bling Bling” did change the game by birthing a new jewelry-related pop culture term which was later added to dictionary — but he was a lowkey lynchpin of the Hot Boys, eventually paving his own way as an independent spitter rather than remain under the stifling wing of Birdman.
Years before Birdman’s legal and financial disputes with the likes of Wayne and Young Thug, B.G.’s messy split from his former collaborators was one of the first signals that all was not right within the house of Cash Money. On some level, the success of bluesy Louisiana rappers like Gates and NBA YoungBoy has ensured that there’s still room for B.G.’s distinctive Gulf Coast drawl.
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B.G. and Gucci might feel like they’re of different generations when it comes to their careers but they’re actually the same exact age. Choppers & Bricks is like a special crossover issue of a comic book, where two of your favorite superheroes unexpectedly join forces. There’s also a clear kinship between the pair in terms of their experiences of incarceration; Gucci is in many ways an ideal mentor for B.G. at this moment in his career, a shining example of not just successfully transitioning back to civilian life, but ensuring his comeback is bigger than his setback.
Though Gucci actively continued releasing mixtapes while in prison, his career easily could have been derailed by his charges, but he returned bigger than ever as a bonafide pop star — while it’s difficult to imagine B.G. ever hopping on a track with Bruno Mars, Gucci is living proof that almost anything is possible when a hustler sets their mind to it.
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Gucci’s voice might be more familiar in the 2020s, but B.G. frequently shows him up, like on “Guwop & Gizzle,” where B.G.’s flow is slick and nimble while Gucci’s feels more restrained in its tight syncopation. There’s a musicality to B.G.’s voice — he’s not usually outright singing, but the limber dexterity infuses an inherent melodiousness to the hooks on songs like “Idiots Worst Nightmare.” Where Gucci has a fairly consistent pace to his delivery, B.G. twists his tongue in unexpected directions, playfully toying with the beat. On “Run A Bag Up,” B.G. is firmly in pocket, breaking into a quick sprint of a delivery.
Though the beat is forceful and the flows are menacing, it’s unexpectedly emotional to hear C-Murder on “Project Baby,” knowing that the No Limit legend is still behind bars fighting for his freedom, after years of pleading that he was wrongfully convicted for the murder of a 16-year-old back in 2002. But there’s something hopeful in the song’s existence as well — B.G. and Gucci might have regained their own freedom, but they aren’t forgetting about the ones still fighting for their lives, and it gestures toward a future where C-Murder might similarly return to reclaim his rightful crown.
If there’s anything that holds back Choppers & Bricks, it’s hearing B.G. on more conventional boilerplate trap beats instead of the futuristic Mannie Fresh compositions and smooth pimping sound he made his name spitting on. But B.G. still sounds fresh over anything you throw his way, despite the years and the mileage he’s endured, and there’s also a newfound depth.
Over dusty boom bap drums on “Paperwork,” he reflects on the precarity of not just his career, but his entire life: “Every time I look around, hood buryin’ a G/ Wonderin’ if the next week, they gon’ be buryin’ me/ Carryin’ me, on a fresh white tee wearin’ me.”
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Choppers & Bricks might find B.G. fully back on his grind, but you can hear the weight of all the years he spent in a cell, as he grimly acknowledges the heat that perpetually exists around the corner for Black men in America.
RELEASE DATE: December 15, 2023
RECORD LABEL: 1017 Records/Atlantic Records
Listen to Chopper & Bricks below:
