Bobby Bishop Government Name: Re-Election Special Edition
Artist Info:Discography Album length: 2 Discs: 25 tracks Street Date: June, 2006
Among the albums to come from Beatmart Recordings, only one has gone under the re-release
treatment, and that is Bobby Bishop’s own Government Name. Adding an EP to
the re-release, the CD seems to be just a ploy by the record company to make a little more money off
their artist. But is the original worth buying, and is the EP good enough to warrant a re-release?
Bobby Bishop sounds a lot like early KJ-52 except, in KJ’s case, he hadn’t had a lot of experience
under his belt or a record label such as Beatmart around to help him work out the problems and get the
beats right. Bobby has had this treatment available to him for his debut album, but does he use it to
his advantage? I wasn’t expecting much, due to the severe disappointment I got from Fresh Digress and
Japhia Life, but Bobby Bishop proves himself as a serious emcee on his Beatmart debut Government Name.
The beginning of the album is full of radio friendly tracks, such as the catchy title track,
the hook-driven “Get Down,” and the soulful beat of “He Won’t Leave You.” Bobby then shifts almost
drastically to a serious note, with the emotionally-driven “Amy’s Song,” talking about a girl named
who has gone to a counseling meeting for rape victims. He then switches gears backwards, diving into
“War Cry” and the clever “Change The Game” featuring KJ-52. The continuous problem that I’ve
found in Beatmart releases are repetitive choruses, and it only occurs on Bobby’s debut a few times,
namely in “War Cry.” The entire chorus consists of one long “woah,” which doesn’t work well with the
deep meaning of the song. The majority of the rest of the album flows decently, with highlights including
“Stimulate My Senses” and the quirky “HipHopPie.”
The Government Name re-release includes a 5-song One Shot EP, and isn’t just a
few songs that were left off the record. It’s actually a short story about Bobby himself, set to rap,
beats, and spoken word skits. The lead off track “One Shot” is a rap in between skits. The second
track “I’m On The Run” is probably the best track on the EP, while the third track “Where Were You?”
is almost an exact copy of KJ-52's song off his second album Collaborations, by the same
title. Track four, “Tryin’,” features Todd Collins in the chorus, making for a soulful feel, and the
final track, “Jump Off,” speaks of the courage we need to have to get things done in this life -
even if everything and everyone is against us, we still have Christ.
Overall, Bobby Bishop has talent. He can rap with the best of them, and it will be interesting to
see what issues he touches on with coming albums. There’s room for improvement everywhere on the disc,
but overall, if you’ve liked any of Beatmart’s releases prior to this one, check this one out before
making a decision.
- Review date: 9/5/06, written by Justin Mabee
Record Label: Beatmart Recordings
Album length: 2 Discs: 25 tracks
Street Date: June, 2006
Record Label: Beatmart Recordings
