AJ Bray - For the Time Being (EP)
There’s always a sense of familiarity with Bray but even within that, he still takes some time to experiment with expounding upon what works for him. He’s always made it a focal point to showcase his versatility & his EP for the meanwhile, as we await the 3rd installment in his Love Abuse series, has a taste of almost all sides of Bray. If you’re looking to have your clubbing cravings satiated then Bray is sure to make you “Catch A Vibe”. This record subtly reminds me of a much more polished “Popular”, like he’s now taking it easy with shorty in the corner of the VIP, totally reserved for just the two of them. If the walking vibe is feeling your vibe then you know he’s about to do whatever he can to convince you that y’all should be in sync.
It’s a hot boy summer & Bray is here to make the hot girls swelter & melt with “City Boy”. He gets his thug thizzle off on this one, stealing everybody’s bitch & is ready to sound off on anyone crying, begging for her back. He ain’t no soldier boy but he always got that piece on him in case anyone wants to play. But there’s no need to be “Dramatic”, they just girls after all. Featuring the lone guest on this EP, Bray & Teddy reunite once more after 2019’s “OhEmmGee” to discuss their do’s & don’ts when it comes to deal with these women. He keeps it straight up, he’s a dog so if you ain’t matching that energy, just save y’all both the time & don’t try to catfish your way into his inner circle, just let the connection grow organically. He clearly fancies her & prays on the downfall of the DM dudes so he can then shoot his shot. She’s of a different tier so he know she gotta be the real deal, the perfect excuse to break away from the insecure.
The acoustics of the subtle banger that is “Blessing” are so godly. This is the closest we’ll get to Love Abuse 3 before it’s slated to drop, this winter I believe. His flow on this one is like he’s rocking his baby to sleep. Bray has always been about empowering the women he’s dealing with so although humility is her strong suit, he encourages her to pop her shit off every once in a while, he wouldn’t be gassing her up if he didn’t genuinely mean what he was saying. He knows she’s digging his scene as well but if she wants to dance around the idea, well he has no issue playing whatever games she feels so inclined to, though he’d much rather not with all that toxic shit, why not just be two consenting adults about this? It was clearly ordained by God that the two be blessed with one another so let’s stop with all this hemming & hawing & call it official already.
Closing off this EP with Bray tackling that UK drill, channeling his inner “Raheem Sterling”. Bray’s references are always off the chain, plus, I can’t recall any rappers as of a recent let alone period shouting out soccer players in their rhymes, it’s little things like that which only add to Bray’s brilliance & originality. Bray catches his flows so seamlessly on this number, delivering line after line, just showcasing his effortless wit when it comes to his lyricism. Lines like “this my first time up in the UK, where y’all sell y’all Trojans?” emphasize that & we gotta respect a king who’s promoting safe sex, he’s not out here living too too reckless. Rappers twice his age have yet to even form a bubble, more a less pop. As for him, if he keeps remaining this hungry as an artist, he’s gonna be spending more than 30 pounds on some curry.