CTE’s new recruit Boston George has a skill set from yesteryear that fits their system. Can this style of play continue going forward?

Jeezy is back with another alias, Diego and a new signee to the CTE/Def Jam imprint, Boston George. They come together to form Boston George and Diego, named after the duo feature in the movie “Blow”, to drop a self titled debut on a streaming platform near you.

Boston George and The CTE Playbook

With such effort put into introducing an artist, part of this review is establishing a baseline for Boston. He comes your way via the streets of Houston, TX. If you are familiar with CTE’s choice of artist, then it’s no surprise that they would sign another “successful in streets” artist. The only thing that may have catch you off guard was the age of such an artist. Boston George has a birthday this year that make him thrity-four. This is not knock at all, as the streaming era has been kind to post 30 year old rappers.

The concern comes from a lack of a diverse skill set that most new artists seem to possess. In short, George isn’t a technician when it comes to having flow and doesn’t showcase an ability to use melody or other musical techniques to make things catchy. The lyrical content is clever at times but lacks the creativity that makes you hear a line and want it on a t-shirt or Instagram post. Of course, when you work within the infrastructure of street content you are limited but I would appreciate a little bit of change of pace. He’s a back to basket player and everyone is shooting three’s around him.

The move may be strategic for Snowman’s business model. There’s nothing wrong with running a super niche record label. As a fan, I would like to see an artist help keep a favorite of mine young. I would have like to see Jeezy take an artist like Moneybagg Yo under his wing and help him be more well rounded. Even take a chance on an artist who was more musical than street. I’m in the party, that want relevant Jeezys music as long as possible, while the game is pushing their relevance further from the main page.

Boston George and Diego

Now let’s get more specific about the music. To start Boston George and Diego is nine track made for streaming mixtape/ album, featuring production by Tay Keith, DJ Montay, and a few others. Diego does the heavy lifting on the project. In fact, it sounds a bit like Snowman had some unfinished tracks and Boston George was added later. It could be my perception because my favorite parts of the project all go to Jeezy. There is a moment on “Right 2 Left” where they take that Jadakiss/Styles P in and out pattern. It was very effective and the project could have used more of this type of cohesion.

Jeezy’s overpowering presence starts with the first song. “Shout Out” is definitely a Trap or Die intro, san the DJ Drama ad-libs. Jeezy recaps his President Obama shout out, and seems to have his chest on the record. “Pile Up” is the single with the video which has some ringtone appeal for the hustlers out there. It’s a decent song that does what it needs to do but not the strongest on the record. The song that epitomizes what this project is about is “Real Trap” but unfortunately, Boston George isn’t on this song.

In contrast, songs with more Boston George like “On Da Scale” expose his short on rap skills but is heavy on street savvy formula. At times, he seems to be too busy trapping to have time for bars. It’s a short project, that I have given several listens to and I have yet to find myself singing any Boston Geoge away from the music. It also doesn’t leave with a taste that I want to exlpore more of the Baking Soda Boston Universe.

CTE doesn’t have a strong track record of working songs or projects outside of Jeezy. There seems to be a weak spot in the organization when it comes to artist development, production values, and other ways to grow the brand. The best example on this album is “New J’s” toward the end of the tracklist. As someone who appreciates the well-placed feature, it screams out for a Future hook and/or verse. Jeezy does a decent job on the hook but the energy Future could bring is hard to match. It would have boosted the profile of everything at stake and would have done some audience sourcing from a vast following.

Final Word

Overall, Boston George and Diego has some tracks that you drop in an aggressive playlist but lacks some real replay value. If you are into that type of thing then you won’t have a problem of letting it play in your car stereo for a week or two but it won’t take much to knock it out the way. Boston George is a long way from a Freddie Gibbs in many ways, so don’t think this signing will get the hype that came before. There seems to be a point of being cohesive with the type of artist that sign to C.T.E. that is a staple in the business plan. I’m curious to see the long plays going forward and what they will do for the vitality of the brand.