EVERYTHINGS FOR SALE (LP)

oogie's music always carries a sadness beneath the technically polished flows and glitzy, sullen beats. Life sucks, we suffer, the future is in trouble. He is rap's Droopy, the eternally sad cartoon dog. This isn't a slight because, yes, conscious rap deals with existential melancholy (cf. J. Cole) but it's usually bookended with optimism through last-minute revelations or faith in the future. Not Boogie, and certainly not Everything's for Sale, his debut album for Eminem's Shady Records. It exists in a cloud of gloom that consumes the album. And yet, there's something endearing about Boogie's honesty, his commitment to the established mood, and his charming vocals to go along with his rap abilities.