Early 2013, I became a believer in Troy Ave. I felt that the void of New York presence and the sound was becoming a little clearer. Of course Joey Badass, Action Bronson ,and ASAP were doing their thing, but I missed the NY Street Rap. Troy filled that void with Bricks in my BackPack 3. He embodied New York swagger, confidence, and style with his material. I always compared Ave to a young 50 Cent, for his use of melodies and vocal similarity.

As time went on, I watched DopeBoy Troy plant his flag as the “one who bought New York“. He dropped the critically acclaimed “New York City” album, scored a nationwide hit with “All About The Money“, and earned endorsements with Adidas & Sean John. By the way, these feats were done independently! No label backing or funding, just consistent hard work, and smart moves. But of course, with the love comes the hate. Many thought Troy was too cocky and made average music, sparking the nickname “Troy Average“. But opinions are assholes of course.

Let’s speed past The Major Without a Deal album response, and the beef with Taxstone and Joey Badazz. As some of us know, Troy is fighting a very serious case that I won’t touch on. What I will speak on is the music that he dropped after he was released on bail. It’s something about having your back against the wall that brings the BEST material out of an Artist. Just last year, Rick Ross dropped Black Dollar & Black Market to much acclaim after catching his current case. This past Friday, Troy dropped his new album Roland Collins and it is front to back crazy! Usually, when listening to a Troy Ave project( or most projects for that matter), I appreciate about 70-80% of it. This is the first album in a few months where I rock with every track. When you listen to the album, Troy reminds you that all of those rhymes were written in jail. Those rhymes translated into, arguably, Troy‘s most cohesive album to date. I hope his situation works out for the best because Troy‘s music is at another level now. Hopefully, before 2017 arrives, Harry Powder himself can drop another album.
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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_JGW7l9m18&w=560&h=315]