Rare Chandeliers Was Dirt-Covered Vintage In The Modern Era

Raw. That is what a mixtape personifies. 

A sound accompanied by a lyrical approach that is both rugged and priceless, a diamond in the rough, if you will. 

2012 had no shortage of fresh meat to chew on in this regard. Artists like Big K.R.I.T., Joey Bada$$ and Logic provided necessary alternatives to mainstream hip-hop. 

In retrospect, one collaboration between a charismatic gourmet chef turned rapper and an established juggernaut producer continues to be overlooked.

Rare Chandeliers by Action Bronson and The Alchemist laid down thirteen tracks that feel like a trip through the mind of a mafioso that loves to run his mouth in poetic detail.

The Symbol, the mixtape’s second track, featured a gargantuan guitar groove accompanied by Bronson’s wild tales of organized crime and driving expensive cars like Mad Max behind the wheel. I can’t fail to mention his bar about providing “health benefits and dental” to his crew as it is downright hilarious. 

Randy The Musical sports three different types of East Coast style beats through lines like “never sing the blues, man my team mo’ better” and “I’m in the street like a hooker’s feet.” 

Outlandish moments like this capture your attention like watching a gangster flick or walking into a grindhouse.

All it takes is a look at the project’s cover art to see that the musical approach was intentional. The mixtape’s sound is what you’d see heading inside the helicopter of a mob boss who’s holding a machine gun and mowing down rivals on a rooftop.

That very persona is what helped Bronson come into his own.

Before the release of Rare Chandeliers, his technical skill and personality were constantly compared to legends such as Ghostface Killah and Kool G Rap. 

Action welcomed these parallels. However, he would go on to silence them by  amplifying his charm and sense of humor in his mixtapes.

The frequent mentions of sumptuous cuisine, esoteric-like allusions to athletes and pop culture reference how he’s best known for what came to fruition on this record. Rare Chandeliers is where he embraced the “good fella turned rock star turned sports fanatic” cycle of identity. 

And like any good fella, they always need a weapon. For Action Bronson, that weapon is The Alchemist. 

The instrumentals are outstanding.

The Alchemist has a gift for finding the perfect loop—whether it be a soul chop or brassy trumpet notes—and fusing it with vocal samples that keep the crowd hype.

Aside from the songs I’ve already mentioned, there are even more grimy bangers like Sylvester Lundgren and Demolition Man.

When you’re such a student of the game as he is, having The Alchemist produce an entire project for you is comparable to using Bo Jackson in Tecmo Bowl: It’s a cheat code.

With the ten-year anniversary of Rare Chandeliers creeping up, the question of why it isn’t talked about enough grows stronger.

It’s entirely possible that it was hidden in a sea of other tapes released the same year. Still, it likely boiled down to it never being put on a streaming platform that adapted to the new age of music consumption. 

Despite this, being able to listen to it on the far corners of the internet is what adds to its mystique. 

In essence, Rare Chandeliers is the NC-17 B movie your uncle keeps tucked away in his basement. Once you turn it on, you can’t help but watch.

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