[Music] Action Bronson, Life Size

Action Bronson Returns with Ninth Album, “Planet Frog,” a new, fine and flavorful hip-hop experience. A well-known recipe for the rapper who is also a chef, offering a return to nature.

Rapper, chef, wrestler, painter, television host, sneaker collector, and actor: one may wonder how Action Bronson finds time to be present night after night at Madison Square Garden to watch his beloved New York Knicks play, as he is one of the iconic fans alongside Spike Lee and Ben Stiller seated courtside. However, he is equally dedicated to the Yankees games and the Jets football matches; sometimes preparing a post-game feast that players, regulars, and VIP guests enjoy. Today, he has two good reasons to celebrate extravagantly: first, following the Knicks’ successful NBA playoffs journey, and second, the release of his eighth album, “Planet Frog,” a new iteration of his exuberant, colorful, and lavish universe, this time emphasizing a return to nature.

Son of an Albanian restaurateur and a Jewish New Yorker mother, Ariyan Arslani feels naturally at home when blending genres, practices, and cultures. The man who would become Action Bronson was born between graffiti, which he practiced as a teenager on the walls of his Queens neighborhood (under the name of Action), and cooking, which he learned from his father at the same time. His fame is owed to both rap and culinary pleasures. In 2013, two years after his excellent debut album, “Dr. Lecter,” he became part of the elite featured on “1Train,” a generation-defining posse cut led by ASAP Rocky – alongside Kendrick Lamar, Joey Badass, Yelawolf, Danny Brown, and Big K.R.I.T. Then came “Baby Blue” on the album “Mr. Wonderful” (2015), which became his first and only hit thanks to a chorus by Chance the Rapper. From then on, Action Bronson was no longer an unknown, although his experimental work remains a niche specialty.

Sitting with Mamdani

In 2016, thanks to the success of his show “Fuck, That’s Delicious,” he emerged from the underground through food. The gourmet program, which extends its influence to the background music, shows him both in his kitchen entertaining food enthusiasts (including Dua Lipa, with whom he has developed a close friendship since she cooked a traditional Albanian dish in front of his camera) and touring New York’s street food spots and beyond (Los Angeles, Paris, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Rome, etc.). True to his multicultural and hospitable city, nicknamed Bam Bam, Baklava, Bronsoliño, Mr. Perfect, or Ill Prosciutto, he sets the stage for his new episode, sharing a selection of traditional international dishes with none other than Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Regarding music, the rap bon vivant finds a similar approach: at first glance, his universe seems nebulous, and that is precisely the sought-after effect. His prestigious producers (The Alchemist, Harry Fraud, Daringer, or Kenny Beats) have crafted a formula tailored for the hip-hop Gargantua: exclusive samples of increasingly obscure origins – regularly updated on his eclectic playlist on Apple Music, where Iranian funk, French chanson, and Puerto Rican salsa converge. His previous album, “Johann Sebastian Bachlava the Doctor” (2024, the first released independently), struck a definitive balance between lavish orchestral samples – like the NBA Leather jingle on “NBA Leather on NBC” – and mysteriously captivating melodies, including a traditional Albanian wedding song on Sega.

New Planet

With “Planet Frog,” the rapper nurtures the fruits of his personal changes that began in 2020. “AB” has become a father, faced health issues, and lost a significant amount of weight. A new planet, yes, a new version as well. “Planet Frog” should be seen as a way to bring out his inner Frenchman: overlooking the nod to the national specialty (frog legs) to appreciate the blend of refined gourmet and scattered ideas akin to jazz, his signature style. This Paris lover invites his sommelier friend Clovis Ochin, also a rapper, to showcase his French flair on the album’s closing track. Like a signature recipe reinvented by a Michelin-starred chef, the new album is strictly “drumless,” embracing its organic essence. The return to nature is all-encompassing, even in the “Peppers” music video with Roc Marciano, as the two New York pillars rap amidst a forest setting. Still, Action Bronson enjoys cheeky humor, earning him the title of the most sincere (and endearing) liar in the game: instead of his signature painting, as featured on all his albums since 2018, “Planet Frog” showcases an AI-generated drawing… in the style of Action Bronson’s psychedelic canvases.