"Splash Bros" - Song Review

Song: Splash Bros
Artist: BloodHound Q50
Non-album single
Release year: 2024

This review is a suggestion from a user called Chintoes. Thanks for the suggestion and I hope this review does this song justice! :)

Intro

Welcome back to my reviews! Today I am going to be reviewing a song called "Splash Bros" by BloodHound Q50. Now I haven't really been keeping up with modern hip hop as most hip hop I've listened to dates from the late 80s to the early 00s. But despite that, I always like to give a new song a go, and this song coming from an up-and-coming and an underground rapper piques my interest as they aren't exactly limited by the constraints of record labels and mass appeal. So, let's see what there is in this song.

I will be doing this review differently as there isn't as much information about Q50 on the Internet, so this review will be a lot shorter to my "Band On The Run" review, but hopefully, it's still worthwhile and does the song justice.

The thing about BloodHound Q50

I didn't hear of BloodHound Q50 until hearing about it from Chintoes' comment. But from what I'm able to gather, Q50 is a rapper based out of Chicago, Illinois. His aggressive lyrics mostly tell the story of street life in Chicago. In 2024, he was arrested for possession of a firearm, but was released a while after that. But let's be real, many other artists in the rap game have been arrested for similar crimes. Snoop Dogg and 2Pac probably being the most famous examples. Apart from that, he was in a rap group called Bloodhounds with fellow Chicago rapper BloodHound Lil Jeff, who was shot dead in June 2024. However, this did not stop Q50. Without further ado, let's go into the song.

The instrumental

While lyrics are probably the highlight of any hip hop song, I'd like to take a minute to talk about the instrumental. Because honestly, it works very well with the music. The instrumental is pretty simple, with that traditional trap beat as well as an ambient synth playing throughout the song. Normally, this would be a bit of an issue, but the song's short length of just under 2 minutes, as well as the rapping which means the instrumental isn't really the main focus as it merely just compliments the rapping. But there is a sample of a bell which also plays, adding slightly more texture to a skeletal instrumental. This song could be made better perhaps if there was slightly more variety in the instrumental, such as bringing in other synths which could additionally compliment the rapping, although it isn't too offensive.

The lyrics

The lyrics of this song is where it really gets interesting. As with many of Q50's songs, the lyrics are about Q50's experiences on the streets of Chicago, seeing bodies, using guns and doing drugs. As someone who is not a big hip-hop fan, I think this song perfectly encapsulates the danger of the streets and crime. However, to hip hop fans, this is probably just something they know to expect from an underground rapper from a rough neighbourhood. In the song, there are also references to Lil Jeff, Q50's rapping partner, as seen in the lyric "Lil Jeff gon' swing that Drac' and bust your shit open like a pinata", perhaps referencing Jeff's unfortunate demise. Another thing I like about the song is the freestyling aspect to it. I've heard so many people say rap songs aren't good unless they all rhyme, and while that mostly is true, some songs, like this one are the exception. You can tell this song is just Q50 rapping about what he knows, but he is not bound by the rules of rhyming and instead just paints us the image in detail. In essence, this is similar to what Roger Waters does with Pink Floyd songs, granted far less about the streets and crime, but that's something I wanted to point out.

Before I give my rating, know this...

As I have stated throughout, my experience with hip hop has been far less than others. When I was in my hip hop phase, I only really listened to Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg and maybe a bit of Kendrick here and there. So I'd just like to clarify that it has been very hard to go through this song and make sure I'm ranking it fairly. I'm just going with what I know here. But even then, it is a new thing for me to try and I am open to trying new songs, and I'm happy I found something I can say positive things about! No less, a community suggestion. So in conclusion, I may a bit more naive than other hip hop reviewers out there, but here's my verdict.

Final thoughts

Rating: B/C

Even as someone who isn't the biggest fan of post-2005 hip hop, I do see a lot of great things about this song. If you are a fan of midwest rap and enjoy artists in the drill scene, I think this song is for you! Honestly, I don't think it's overly for me, but I can see this song does have great things going for it. My only real problem is that the instrumental is slightly lacking, but I do understand not every song can be a prog rock instrumental, so, if you're into underground hip hop, check this song out!

You can listen to the song here:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjDtTv0n0Fw

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/6pNB9VTR8pEPUn6Ptl4You?si=693291d8f36748de

Thank you for the suggestion Chintoes, and I hope this review was satisfactory!

Anyway, I'll see you all in the next review