42 Square Miles by Def Soulja and 183rd

When I first heard 03 Smack DVD featuring Nym Lo, I couldn't wait to hear more from Def Soulja, an artist I was unfamiliar with, so I went back and listened to his previous projects to get a feel for the Bronx artist, who makes incredible sounds in the format of classic NYC style and boom-bap music.

42 Square Miles – a reference to the borough of the Bronx and its land area - features Rome Streetz and NymLo, and the whole project is entirely produced by 183rd, and its executive producer in Coach Bombay 3000.

The first half of the body of work is excellent and opens with Feature Presentation and transitions into Directed by Hype Williams, "Never been the type to beg, I chose to grind" as Def Soulja floats over the instrumental, the Trap like production style by 183rd on here works impeccably with Def Soulja's flow.

The second track, Skatekey on Allerton refers to a neighbourhood in East Bronx and features Rome Streetz, with a Jazzy feel to the production, Soulja's lyrical scheme is on point and the chorus works perfectly with the instrumental.

"Guns and butter, fast cars and pounds of products, why would we ever converse if it ain't about a profit?" Rome Streetz makes his presence felt immediately, and his verse shows exactly why he's where he is right now.

Chopped Cheese and Grape Soda is the third track on the project with a very ominous style of production, Def Soulja doesn’t stop, his bars go back and forth: "Look, I ain't here to play with y'all, I'm here for my respect fuck debating y'all, don't care who's the nicest, line them up and I'll break them all, you can bet your life on it bet I'mma take it all"

The latter half of the body of work is slightly more reflective and Def Soulja dives into more personal stories, Long Ago, Henny Privi and 42 Square Miles (A Bronx Tale) are perfect examples, where he talks about women, god, prison, family, and grievance.

183rd is as important as Def Soulja's astonishing cadences, flows and deliveries, and accompanies Soulja's storytelling in various ways. Henny Privi is like a huge right hook in the face over those continuous, impressive bars.

Devils a Liar references Tupac's Hail Mary and it seems rather poetic, and intentional, Mother of God versus the Devil, "N***** mad I made it and I ain't even made it yet […] the top spot, yeah I will seize it" his confidence is great to see.

On 42 Square Miles (A Bronx Tale) – in my top 3 films of all time- Def Soulja references his family and the need to build something sustainable: "Keeping my family safe is a mission I could never abort"

"I like to talk about the game and how I came up, I like to talk about my grind to get my name up, I like to talk about the system why they hate us, how they keep us in the hood try to tame us."

The entire project is a very good body of work, 183rd's production is versatile, from Stuck With Me, to Henny Privi and 03 Smack DVD, none of the instrumentals sound alike, and Def Soulja is able to master all of those different sounds, and approaches each track with confidence.

42 Square Miles in its production is a very good piece of work.