Blair B impresses with ease throughout this naturally colorful, uplifting track, “No T-Shirt,” which begins with a brilliantly melodic rap melody of the modern scene. It is blended with inventive, memorable pop-flavored riff work and a vocal line that is both catchy and revealing.
Hard-working, energetic, focused, and highly dedicated is a great way to describe this rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer Blair “Blair B” Broussard. He was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, always surrounded by music, destined to become an entertainer.
His great grandfather, music director for gangster Al Capone’s, Grandfather, Bishop (COGIC) singer/saxophonist, and his father, concert promoter and drummer for the late soul singer Dave Prater from Sam & Dave. He was always surrounded by music, destined to become an entertainer to entertain a broad audience.
Living in Michigan, Blair had been mainly exposed to pop, gospel R & B, and country music. In 2000 the family transitioned to Atlanta, Georgia, where he first got exposed to southern hip-hop such as Nelly, The Hot Boyz, and Ludacris, focusing his attention on lyrical creativity.
“No T-Shirt” appears to be a cheerful and self-empowering song at its core, leveraging identity of voice and intention. However, the continuous usage of production complexities throughout, along with a very classic hip hop beat and apparent, crisp mixing, results in a distinct take on the genre that blends with this motivating undertone for overall solid success.
“No T-Shirt” marries a creative backdrop of gritty, neatly blended rap lines and an instantly addictive, emotional hook with a now euphoric atmosphere of basic, recurring synth riffs and classic hip hop/rap beats.
The single is musically simple to a degree. Still, it is enhanced by a lively rap delivery that makes excellent use of brilliant wordplay, sophisticated framing of themes, and personal anecdotes.
The sound is instantly recognized, but there’s a more consistent delivery and a more traditional approach to rap lyrics, making it potentially more accessible to a broad audience than some of his previous alternative ideas. As the plot and the musical build-up blend throughout the song, it’s a beautiful piece of music, and an engaging, eventually ecstatic listen.
