Steve 'Flash' Juon“Broke ass nigga, you probably still shop at J.C. Penney’s.”
That would actually be impressive considering they filed for bankruptcy on May 15th. If you can find a way to shop at a retailer that’s closed their doors, that’s baller status. That means someone opened it just for you. You’re probably getting a hella good deal too considering they have to liquidate their entire inventory to pay back their creditors. “RonSoCold” is the self-titled album from young Ronnie 2K that doesn’t seem to be available at any retailer. That’s not for lack of trying. I followed his links to multiple outlets and each time got a broken result or “no longer available.” I’m not sure what’s up with that. He did put out a “Had 2” music video to promote the album back in January though.
According to SoundCloud the album came out May 15th so I really don’t know what to think. It’s not like Ron didn’t hire the best producers he could get to put together an official album. He’s got Richie Souf on six tracks, Lil Tecca on “Had 2” above, Titobeats and Neek on “Grandman” and jetsonmade on “Loaded.” Everything about this release suggests that he intended it to be sold everywhere to recoup the costs of hiring all those people to lace him with beats, let alone make a few stacks to keep.
While I can’t tell you what happened to “RonSoCold” in stores, I can tell you what happened to me listening to it… time passed. Slowly. I squeezed my fingers to loosen them up and type, but nothing RonSoCold said beyond the line about J.C. Penney caused inspiration to strike. There were a few enjoyable moments here and there. Nick Mira’s beat on “Can’t Stand” was interesting enough I wanted to hear it by itself. The kick drum and bass thumped, the variations of the melody and instrumentation were lovely, and it had the feel of a video game. I was also intrigued by Ron naming a song after “Kid Cudi,” although if he’s paying tribute to him it’s hard to tell.
“Fucking your bitch, I might record it” brags Ron. “I can buy your bitch.” Putting the obvious misogyny aside (I doubt Cudi’s down with that) I just don’t hear what’s SoCold about Ron compared to everybody else. The AutoTune is so heavily modulating his voice that he seems to be cloned straight from the Top 40. When I think of cold rappers I think of Ice Cube. He sounds like a man weary of all the bullshit that he’s seen in life. He has no patience for fuckery. You get in his way and he’ll take you down without remorse. He raps hard and he is hard. Meanwhile Ron’s over here singing like everybody else that I listen to in 2020. He doesn’t stand out.
Basically, what I’m saying is, don’t worry about not finding “RonSoCold” at retail. I’m not worrying about it either until he finds something in himself to stand out from a thousand other people doing the same shit he does.