BoomBaptist is a producer that has been a fixture of the Austin hip hop scene over the past decade, as a solo artist, as part of the Applied Pressure crew, and then more recently as part of the duo The Vapor Caves alongside vocalist Yadira Brown. While he has been rocking shows for years, and released an album with The Vapor Caves just last year, one question that has been dogging him for years has been, “When are we getting that solo album?” Well, you can stop asking him, because BoomBaptist is finally delivering that promise with Boom Shakalaka.

As anyone of a certain age can tell you, just hearing the phrase “Boom Shakalaka” will transport you back to your youth, maybe at an arcade, maybe at your friend’s house, playing NBA Jam. The 1993 video game captured the imagination of a generation in a very odd and specific way that lined up perfectly with the explosion in popularity of both the NBA and video game systems. That game certainly made an impact on BoomBaptist, who has chosen to incorporate that game into his debut album, using some audio clips from some interviews and promotional pieces as framework for the album. On that side of the album, it gives the album a nice framework, and it’s certainly fun and nostalgic to hear these beats and then think, “He’s heating up…” On the other side of things, you’ve got the music. If you’ve seen BoomBaptist rocking shows over the years in Austin, this album will immediately feel familiar to you. That’s because he’s not suddenly trying to be something he’s not with his first solo album – he’s giving you exactly what he’s been doing this whole time. What that is a rap nerd who has absorbed everything from old school break beats to ‘90s boom bap to ‘00s southern hip hop and everything in between and beyond. He is delivering some beautiful down tempo, some 8-bit, some electro-boogie, some drum and bass, and of course, some boom bap. He’s also bringing in his knowledge and experience in live settings to mix and sequence the whole album so the flow from track to track is incredibly smooth. Also, while this is a solo album, BoomBaptist has been a player in building community in Austin over the last several years, so it’s no surprise to see a few guests lending some flavor to the project, including NickNack, Keeper, and Yadira Brown, along with a reach across the ocean to French artist Deheb to help round out the sound.

Boom Shakalaka might seem like a bit of a novelty on the surface, but the more you spend time with it, the more you realize that not only is BoomBaptist’s love for NBA Jam and basketball more broadly extremely genuine, you also stop focusing as much on the theme and just start appreciating what a good producer he is and what a solid instrumental album this is. It might have taken a long time to get here, but Boom Shakalaka was worth the wait.