New York, NY (Top40 Charts) If you watched the clip for "This That," the seductive March 2021 single from the talented New Jersey rapper Jameel Mason, Bad Ash certainly caught your eye. "This That" cast Bad Ash in the role of Mason's love interest - and as commanding as
Mason can be, it's fair to say, she stole the show with her provocative poses at the pool table. She didn't get to rhyme, but her demeanor and style spoke volumes. Here was a young woman who was self-possessed, confident in her sex appeal, quietly observant, able to express interest, satisfaction, and disdain with the simplest gesture. The clip left every viewer wondering: who is Bad Ash, and what might her other talents be?
"Klaws" answers those questions emphatically. Jameel
Mason and Bad Ash rap as equals: he takes the second verse, and she handles the first and includes a chorus that foregrounds her commitment to self-expression and her personal style. She radiates attitude and impertinence, but she's effortlessly charismatic, too. Bad Ash is clearly a woman to know - but unless you're worthy of her attention, she's not going to make it easy.
That makes her a natural match for Jameel Mason, who has demonstrated his excellence with a run of stinging solo tracks. He's established himself as one of the smartest and most skilled rappers in the competitive New Jersey hip-hop underground, and he's enthusiastically represented his scene and his home state in his verses. As he showed in the clip for "Black Queens," a heartfelt tribute to African American women,
Mason can be thoughtful and even ruminative. When he's ready to party, though, watch out.
The "Klaws" clip is a showcase for both artists. But this is a song about Bad Ash's personality, and the directors at Cozy Creatives keep the camera on her. She may be a newcomer to hip-hop, but she already knows exactly how to address the lens and hold the viewer's attention. Her wardrobe, too, is magnificent and outrageous: a sheer bodysuit that looks to have been made of gemstones and pearls, sunglasses in the shape of flames, gold accents on her high-heeled sandals. Not to be outdone, Jameel
Mason keeps it stylish, too, in clothes that make his geographical allegiances manifest. He makes sure his New Jersey Devils cap is properly fitted, and he rocks his own "Jersday" athleticwear. And if all of that doesn't let you know where they're from, they take the show to the foot of the
George Washington Bridge and rhyme as the Hudson River flows behind them.
