When a rural Georgia-based rapper named Bubba Sparxxx released his first album came out in 1996 — three years before The Slim Shady EP — he earned sprinklings of local props. But fame didn’t truly arrive for Warren Mathis until after Eminem blasted through the Billboard charts and left the ground ripe for Sparxxx’s 2004 hits “Miss New Booty” and “Heat It Up.”
Alas, 1996 is more than 20 years behind us, and the now-41-year-old rapper has dropped Rapper from the Country, his first album since 2016’s The Bubba Mathis EP. He’s eschewed the major label accouterments that Virgin provided him back in 2004, opting instead for a more down-home flavor and aesthetic on his own label, New South Entertainment, which is distributed through E1.
Unfortunately, however, that “down home” flavor comes at a high price, and in the case of Rapper from the Country, that “price” is a compromised quality of product. While The Bubba Mathis EP was a breath of fresh open air — and indicative of a rapper who was content with leaving the past in the past — Rapper from the Country is more of the same-old, same-old “Hick Hop” that no longer sounds fresh in the Trump era.
The features on the album are minimal, and mostly from fellow Southern rappers, such as Cub da CookUpBoss. Though the names don’t hold any water in mainstream music, they’re semi-known within Southern rap circles, so there’s that.
The best that can be said about this entire album is that Sparxxx — to quote his seventh track — made sure that “ain’t shit changed.” And this theme of consistency is one that Sparxxx keeps all the way through to the last track, “Same Damn Bub,” where he raps, “It’s the same damn Bub/Every now and then you may slack up/When I’m on my shit though they can’t match up/And I’ma have to call the ol’ haystack up.” Good for Bubba for staying true to his roots, and according to Rolling Stone, his place in the pantheon of Southern Hip Hop — and, more specifically, “Hick Hop” — is already secured. As Bubba himself says, he has a lot to say, but nothing to prove.
And nothing, indeed, is proven, because Rapper from the Country is, unfortunately, a mostly forgettable album. It flew under the radar thanks to the Eminem/Machine Gun Kelly “beef,” but listeners really weren’t missing much.
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Skimmed through it… didn’t like that it had the same generic flow that majority of the industry has, Bubba was pretty unique to me back in the day.
There is only one Booba, and he is from France. B2o 92i.
Do you fools listen to music or do you just skim through it? Bubba has had a long road to this album, i feel it bangs, much more than the other shut y’all rate higher. Classic no but it’s not meant to be. Slumerican
Thats how you know it’s prolly good 🙂
I can feel the pain in this album and the beats are fire.
Whoever wrote this article is way off track. Bubba worked his ass off to make this album and be where he is today. DX needs to get their facts straight before they write an article. And just because Trump is president has nothing to do with this album being what y’all call boring. Why is it boring? Because he’s a country boy who sticks to his roots? Bubba is real and must not be slept on. This is a classic … PEACE!!
-nothing really stands out thought the tracks are ridden well they all sound similar
I just don’t agree with this rating or commentary. I’ve never been super into dude but at the urging of a new guy at work (who’s opinions about Hip-Hop are always solid) I gave this one a go…and I have to say I was blown away. He obviously tried to bridge the gap between old and new, Country and Rap—without the effort being pronounced—and I don’t think anyone could have done a better job. Shits jamming and a new fan was earned here.
It is sort of weird to declare Bubba’s breakout year being 2004 and relate it to Eminem’s success when Bubba indeed had all the attention back in 2001 (much closer to Em’s appearance on the national stage) with “Ugly” and Timbaland beats. Besides that, thx for covering this, I wouldn’t have known it existed.
hey Im a Matt too! but yeah i dont frequent this site for reviews much anymore…Trap shit ass music albums get like 4.3, and rap legends like Nas get 3.5 or some shit..they need to fire the fuccn reviewers i got a blog i can do better. Or shit at least give fair scores goddamnit Biggie is rollin over in his grave! Bubba K’s first album went so hard too #2001
Bubba the shit and this joint a classic. I don’t know what yo hating ass talking bout
Bubba is the shit and this album is a definite classic. Bubba K is back !!!
Slim Shady EP dropped in 97, while LP dropped in 99. And “Ms New Booty” and “Heat It Up” were in 2006. And delete the “cane out” in “released his first album came out in 1996”.
this dumb ass reviewer doesnt know who bubba is..clearly a google reporter…fvck, none of what you wrote is remotely close in the first paragraph…did you just google “bubba sparxxx hits”…dark days bright nights came out in 2001 and “Ugly” was a banger….his follow up album “Deliverance” is STILL in my rotation today…one of my top 5 albums of all time…maybe next time Bernadette you should write “i dont know who this artist is but im just going to review what i heard”
wayyyyy off with your years. As others have mentioned, Slim Shady EP came out in 97. And Bubba’s first LP (unless he had an indie album that didnt make noise, nor his wikipedia page) came out in 2001. If you dont know something, dont assume. Research, ask someone who knows, or both. And shit, get some damn proofreaders/editors.
Ha, that’s a really misleading review, Bernadette Giacomazzo. This actually was a great album with really nice beats. Unlike that latest Brockhampton.
This review could’ve been written by looking at the track names and features and googling the lyrics to one track, then working it all into your pre-determined agenda.
It appears you haven’t even listened to the album – the beats and lyrics are quite different to a lot of Bubba’s past work and I definitely wouldn’t classify this album as ‘hick hop’ as you have.
Embarrassing to think that you’ve had this published on a popular website, and depressing that artists on independent labels are being buried like this by people who did 2 minutes research and didn’t even listen to the music.
Also you spelled ‘accoutrements’ incorrectly.
My rating of your review: 0/5
Hick Hop is tard music
Album is really good back to his old days with this album cant wait for the next one.