Trichelle Lee Freelance Work
Bandhunta Izzy is the hottest thing coming out of Baltimore’s rap oven right now. At the tender age of 22, Izzy garnered national buzz with his hit freestyle, “How to Rob.” Titled after fellow rapper 50 Cent’s debut single, Izzy’s rendition has the same motivation behind it; to get attention from the music industry by antagonizing it. “How to Rob” is a rapper-by-rapper “Hit list” detailing the many ways in which Bandhunta would do exactly what the song title says, “Rob.”
The song is introduced by featured artist, Mad Rapper. He opens the the song with a friendly disclaimer that warns listeners that he and Izzy will be having nothing more than a good time and poking fun. You can imagine Mad Rapper shrugging as he advises people, “get in your feelings if you want to.” Bandhunta follows shortly behind him and fires his first shot at the controversial character, Tekashi 69. After him, Young Melly and a string of Lil’s (Lil Uzi, Lil Pump, Lil Yachty) become the next casualties in line. Izzy goes onto name-drop a laundry list of rappers and doesn’t refrain from targeting Big Wigs such as Young Money trio, Drake, Nicki and Wayne. Blueface, Dababy, Playboi Carti, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Kodak Black, Lil Nas X, and Bloccboy JB are amongst the newcomers that were targeted.
The manner in which Bandhunta presents his talents is clever, because while he is technically roasting them, the bars aren’t necessarily aggressive or harmful. In fact, the combination of his ad-libs and much of what he pokes fun at throughout the duration of the song is comical. He does get disrespectful with the line, “Put this sh*t onset, if I catch Offset/I’ma just give lil’ Cardi a dome check.” Although, this is Rap and it’s a competitive sport that prides itself on injuring the opponent. Sharp-witted puns and metaphors playfully beat up his rap brethren but also shows them he is not one you would want to get into a serious encounter with. Izzy lets it be know that he’s a street dude from one of America’s most crime infested cities, not a Xanax loving Industry Plant with Skittle-colored hair.
Most importantly however, Bandhunta lets it be known that he can actually rap and is somebody to watch. While some believe that his approach to boosting his popularity was foolish, one could rebut that with the success and stardom of 50 Cent. 50 Cent aired the Rap game out as well but went on to have a thriving Rap career and is now a business mogul. I encourage those who take offense to, “How to Rob”, to see it a great thing. A new and talented Rapper coming from somewhere other than Atlanta and New York is able to put his city on the map. Baltimore should be very proud of Izzy, born Israel James. He represents them well and is a breath of fresh air in an industry where quality is steadily declining artist after artist. “How to Rob”, is a reminder that Rap isn’t dead but that the current roster needs to step it up. The truth hurts, “get in your feelings if you want to.”
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