The Bay Area is in wonderful hands as a collective by the name of AG Club has been holding it down for the last several years with unrelentingly high amounts of swagger and ease. Led by front-runner lyricist/MCs Jody Fontaine and Baby Boy, this avant-garde collective comprised of more than a dozen total members has been pushing the boundaries of what it means to be a musical collective since 2017.
I had only heard of this group a few times before seeing and interviewing them in 2021 at the Lyrical Lemonade and SPKRBX-presented Summer Smash, and the duo+DJ commanded their early-afternoon set like absolute veterans. Peep their Camp Flog Gnaw performance from 2023 here, these young guns had the energy on 10 as soon as they started rolling through their first cut “Mr. Put It On”. The energy that radiates through their recorded music perfectly translates to a live setting and I’m hoping they roll out for a range of tour dates sometime this year, I’d love to see some tracks off of this new project performed live. The genre-less nature of this group offers an uncomplicated and close comparison to historically important collectives such as Odd Future, A$AP Mob, and Brockhampton, but they’ve truly carved their own lane as they’ve offered such unique music throughout their relatively limited discography.
AGC dropped BRODIE WORLD about 10 days ago and I’ve been thoroughly enjoying the eclectic 10 tracks that span across 28 minutes ever since. This concise EP produces feelings of chaos, bliss, and family all wrapped into an eclectic runaway train of a project. You can feel the brotherhood between the front-runners and producers as each track is sequenced and layered to perfection. Although there are only four featured guest artists on this project, each one adds a breath of fresh air as you reach the latter half of BRODIE WORLD.
Here are a few of my favorite tracks from AGC’s latest release, BRODIE WORLD.
“eva” – “eva” is a wildly jovial opening track that sets a perfect youthful tone for the remainder of the project. The whimsical leading melody provides a wacky base for Baby Boy and Jody to level out with their smooth raps and collective “I’m havin’ all this shit” incantation. This braggadocious cut is an exciting and engaging opener to such an eclectic project… it’s hard not to nod the head to this one.
“CAHJ DAY*” – Dreamy uptempo production sets the stage for an addictive hook that tends to stick in my head at the most random of times ever since I listened to their WE’RE ALL BRODIES – EP nearly over five months ago. These dudes are unapologetically themselves, and this track perfectly represents that. Jody Fontaine introduces his bouncy flow fit with confident and swagged-out bars and then Baby Boy sprints out of the bullpen with some strong group-driven lines featuring a unique but undoubtedly cohesive swagger; “Don’t ever tell me ‘Quiet down,’ we bring the commotion.”
“that’s right daddy” (feat. Igwe Aka & Mercury) – I love Mike Dimes’ feature on “KUROSAWA” and it was hard not to include it in my top five but this collaborative track featuring two dope artists in Cali-bred Igwe Aka and the insanely dope Mercury took the gold medal in my book. It’s impossible not to feel an energy boost when blasting this song and it truly embodies the fact that this collective is out to make jubilant and relatable bops for tha kidz. It’s super dope that Jody and Baby Boy hung out on the bench as, besides the hook and production, this track shines the light on the two featured artists (plus Hippie Sabotage lending a helping hand on the production). This will be a summer anthem for me, for sure.
“The Iron Giant” – This cut immaculately reflects how eclectic this group can be. The track opens up with beachy electric guitar samples alongside layered AGC vocals that make me double-take to wonder if I’m listening to the newest Frank Ocean cut. Nearly two minutes in, a rumbling sub-bass is added to accentuate the groovy tempo. Perfectly pitched-up vocals drive that Frank-feel before evolving into a full-out melodic trap cut that offers the perfect base for Baby Boy to spit another verse; his closing efforts on this one feel like a long, addictive hook that I don’t want to end. Super dope and wide-ranging track from front to back.
“Sabine” – The perfect track to close out an unbelievably enjoyable project. This is suchhhh a fun track to enjoy. It simply sounds so playful and cheery while also offering listeners a slew of dope bars that make it feel like the guys are talking right at you.
Stream BRODIE WORLD below!
