With the expanding popularity of hip-hop and the developing trend of rap music, Alabama rappers have emerged at the forefront as the voices of southern rap music. Whether they are from Montgomery, Mobile, Birmingham, or even from smaller cities, there are a handful of top Alabama rappers dominating the scene. While it’s hard to pinpoint one style or subgenre to Alabama hip-hop, the talent doesn’t fall short. Pepelapooh is an artist and producer, based out of Birmingham, Alabama, who writes, produces, mixes and masters his own tracks, along with production team tracks by the Dingbats. Pepelapooh comes to the table with his 13-track album, “Da Birmingham Bully”.
Pepelapooh is a dynamic artist. He mixes personal experiences with street tales and explicit escapades for an immersive listening experience. The Birmingham rapper delivers a kinetic and charismatic flow, powered by a booming voice, over sly beats that really sneak up on you. You’ll catch yourself bobbing your head to almost every one of Pepelapooh’s tracks, on the album “Da Birmingham Bully”.
The album kicks off with the banging piano-driven single “Don’t Like Me”. Here Pepelapooh comes on strong. First, he lures you in with a melodic hook, and then comes at you with an abrasive verse. He quickly flips the sonic template on “Yow”, where he uses melodic adlibs and skittering percussion as the foundation for the beat. On top, Pepelapooh unleashes his resonant vocal tones.
Next up comes “Running Da Yard” which is built on a thundering low end and sweeping strings. This is followed by the videogame like “Barnyard Pimp”. Both of these tracks are dominated by Pepelapooh’s no-holds-barred delivery. The rapper prides himself on staying just outside of the box, creating music that doesn’t quite compare to anyone else, but can easily stand alongside them on any playlist.
“Bang” continues the album’s sonic onslaught, once again highlighting the fact that Pepelapooh’s beats are just as exciting as his vocals and lyrical content, balancing each other perfectly. “Spinning Again” runs the successfully used blend of skittering percussion and piano chords, adding a just enough warmth to juxtapose Pepelapooh’s dark voice. The lyricism, along with the rapper’s mastery level flows are consistent and add to what keeps this body of work interesting.
“Streets” jumps out at you with an explosive bottom end and a ravishing vocal attack from Pepelapooh. “Kant Wait” ft. Reese keeps the momentum swinging with a banging beat and aggressive flows. This leads to the booty-shaker “Klap That Azz”, and then the slower “Punish Da P”. Pepelapooh’s ability to be forward thinking while mastering so many integral skills that come with classic rap at its core, is what makes this artist a much more well-rounded rapper than many of his counterparts.
With the seamless transitions and multiple beat and flow changes, this album gives Pepelapooh the flexibility to be multifaceted. He takes that, to the next level, on the cinematic orchestrations of Peppy Peeping ft. Dang Dang and then the dark straight-talking anthem, “East Ba”. The album aptly closes with the hypnotic, “Bouncing” ft. Santana. Pepelapooh’s fusion of inspiration from classic acts and new age creativity carves him a space as one of the most interesting rappers in the underground game.
All throughout “Da Birmingham Bully”, Pepelapooh continues to prove himself as a dynamic, versatile and dedicated artist. Moreover the album is audible evidence of is effortless flow, rhythm and rhyme. Sooner or later, he is bound to explode.
OFFICIAL LINKS: https://www.youtube.com/@peplepooh
