New Music: Jesse Boykins III - 'Bartholomew' - RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture

Oh Chicago. It’s really starting to feel like you guys are running up the score on the rest of us. Chance The Rapper is currently taking over the world, Lil’ Durk is on the brink of stardom, and oh yeah some guy named Kanye West might be the most influential artist alive, period. That’s not even mentioning rising studs such as Vic Mensa, Mick Jenkins, Noname, or many of the other breakout artists from the Windy City. Next up on deck is the severely underrated Jesse Boykins III and his vibey new project, Bartholomew.

Featuring artists such as the aforementioned Noname and Jenkins, Boykins also enlists Donnie Trumpet, Melanie Fiona, and more. Throughout the project, Boykins stays the course as the star of the show, despite the all star features. On tracks like, “I Need You” and “Kumbaya In June” Boykins’ showcases his soft melodies and strong vocal range over self produced beats that are next level. The most impressive part about the project, though, has to be Boykins’ ability to pull the best out of his respective features. On “Into You“, which features Noname, he pulls the absolute best out of her lyrically and sonically. The same goes on the groovy cut, “Vegetables” in which he, Willow Smith and Syd trade beautiful falsettos over silky smooth guitar riffs.

Other standout tracks from the project include; “Only Way Out“, “LARain“, and “Eye Of The Gentle Tiger” which showcases a scene stealing verse from Audio Push, perhaps the only time on this project where Boykins takes a backseat to a feature.

Check out, Bartholomew, below and be sure to keep an eye on Boykins, who is sure to capitalize off of this amazing project.