“Dedicated to changing the narrative forever/so when you rhyme make sure you tell the truth on a record” is how the first song of Bambu’s new album ends.
They’re Burning The Boats reimagines a terrible historical act of conquest as a warning for the present. Drawing from Hernán Cortés’ destruction of his own ships to ensure domination, Bambu DePistola uses the phrase to illustrate how modern powers eliminate paths of escape from the current system — tightening control through laws, narratives, and cultural pressure.
Set against Fatgums’ tight, carnival-sounding production, the album unfolds like a house of mirrors, exposing a world where chaos and complicity blur together. Its purpose is both to confront and to awaken: Bambu’s lyrics are a call-to-action, recognising the systems closing in around us, and with both urgency and humour, he asks us to respond with courage and collective resistance.
In the world of hip-hop, Bambu stands among the best when it comes to conscious rap. Many fall into the pit where the lyrics perhaps hit hard, but the beats and overall sound are monotonous. On They’re Burning the Boats, Bambu creates a clear concept, and Fatgums’ production keeps you interested and locked in throughout.
Each song is a banger, and each song has its own sound, while still contributing to the thematic style of the album. Sometimes it’s Bambu’s lyrics that make you stop in your tracks and rewind, and other times it’s Fatgums’ production that makes you turn it up and pay attention to the resistance that bursts out from the speakers.
Bambu has been in the game for a minute now. A constant throughout the album is Bambu’s recognition of his time on this earth and how many of his compatriots look the other way. On Their Problem, Not Mine, he raps: “Yeah we might be dads now/old Filipino shaved head, bear belly, tattoed, look like we used crayons/bad knees and high blood/my kids don’t understand the land and time I come from/but if you really from the time you say you from then why you quiet/you’d be louder than a riot, instead of genocide denying, aight”
On Complicit, Repeat Bambu confronts everyday people, who are simply struggling to get through life. He recognises that it ain’t easy taking a stand, but we all must come together and do what we can. “nightmares on the back of all that money you split/you ain’t a killer, but consider how complicit you is/nah this ain’t a shot, this ain’t even a diss/just be aware of how you live and how complicit you is“.
On the album’s last song, It’s Happening, Now, Bambu raps: “I don’t know how long we ’bout to be here/I know it ain’t forever/that’s why when I rhyme I make it count on every record/even on the throwaway joints I wasn’t into/I made sure you could hear my message really simple/that during my time people were cruel/and murdered other people using capital as a tool/and only just a few can pay attention to my songs/’cause I am a Debbie Downer but I wish I was wrong/I know after I’m gone/it won’t be angels and clouds/but I know I live forever when my songs play loud”
While music is an incredibly powerful form of protest, a tool that helps unite people, a lot of protest music gets ignored. Sometimes the message is perhaps too accusatory, too direct, too one-sided, hypocritical, or perhaps not empathetic enough. Or the music behind the message is perhaps not catchy enough. Whatever it is, it’s hard to create the perfect blend of activism and art. To me, at least, Bambu hits all the right spots with his music. Through witty, humorous lyrics that also hit harder than a slap in the face, he gets his message across and makes a real connection with the listener.
This one is an album of the year contender for me, that’s for sure.
“I do not call for violence against what the people deem authoritarian enforcement agencies, I do not call for violence against them, but I do advocate for the people’s right to choose what they feel needs to be done to get free of tyranny.”
– from the song It’s Happening, Now
