Discography Deep Focus: Action Bronson

Bam Bam, Young Bronny, Baklava, Bronsoliño, Dr. Johann Sebastian Bach, The Flushing Grizzly, III Prosciutto, The Rap Dennis the Menace and Mr. Wonderful.

They call him many names but you may commonly know him as the one, the only, Action Bronson.

The world suddenly got brighter on Dec. 2, 1983, when Aryan Arslani spawned in Queens. Born and raised there, Bronson’s upbringing plays such a crucial factor in the legend we know today.

Whether it’s his love for music, fashion, food or sports culture, it’s evident in whatever this Midas reincarnate touches.

Starting off rapping as a hobby, Bronson worked as a cook at his father's Mediterranean restaurant whilst hosting his own cooking show, Action in the Kitchen. You can find some of the episodes on YouTube lasting only a couple minutes, you’ll see a younger Bronson displaying his skills in the kitchen attempting to appeal to his bachelor friends who lived by themselves and didn’t really cook. Sadly he broke his leg, thrusting him to focus solely on his rap career.

Bronson is a modern-day Shakespeare and what I mean by that is that nearly everything he says could be put on a t-shirt. I’ll even admit, that I get most of my Instagram captions by just watching or listening to a variety of content he’s so graciously provided.

Four essential Action Bronson albums:

Mr. Wonderful (2015)

Bronson truly shines on this album with a variety of tracks that prove his status as a rapper. From the 160 million streamed track “Baby Blue” featuring Chance the Rapper to the (one of many) Billy Joel-influenced track’s “Brand New Car”, this album is a no-skip.

A song I’d recommend would be track 3’s “Terry.” This is my favorite Bronson track of all time. He really gets into his bag for it and shows his strength to develop a catchy melody. My favorite lyric would have to be “Twisted off the Jenkem watching Iron Chef, The secret ingredient was lion’s neck.” His delivery and display of cultural knowledge in just one sentence is a spectacle that he provides on every single song he’s put out.

Another heater would have to be track 13’s “Easy Rider.” As the closer to the album, some gas is definitely brought as this song is filled with angst. Named after the Dennis Hopper film of the same name, Bronson provides the soundtrack to what he is frequently saying in the melody, “Ride the Harley into the sunset.” Not only having an ear for music, but Bronson’s music video capabilities are beyond excellent portraying an abstract story and his unique character. This would have to be my favorite music video of his as he puts it all out there. From motorcycles to fighting and drugs, he covers all the bases of what he perceives as art.

White Bronco (2018)

The album cover displays his artistic abilities, Bronson takes a more instrumental approach to this utilizing features such as the pianist/saxophonist Yung Mehico of the band Human Growth Hormone that he’s been touring with recently.

Track 4’s “Live from the Moon” displays Mehico’s talent on the sax as well as a very eased downbeat as opposed to “Easy Rider” off Mr. Wonderful, displaying the versatility of Bronson’s psyche. From dissing Star Wars, to comparing his build to the strength of the pyramids, Bronson continues to show how ahead of the game his lyricism truly is.

Another track off this beautiful album would have to be track 5’s “White Bronco.” Starting off with dreamy piano keys complimented by the most subtle sax, the track drops into one of the hardest dream-like beats I’ve ever heard. Bronson opens his verse dropping a simple fact on us: “Yeah, it’s true, the Lamborghini truck light blue.” What I am most fond of with Bronson’s lyrics is how straightforward they are while maintaining a level of class and finesse.

Only For Dolphins (2020)

Bronson’s infatuation with the sea is something frequently shown throughout his work whether it’s stating that this album is only for dolphins, or diving for oysters in his hit-show “F*ck that’s Delicious.”

This album brings in some familiar names frequently associated with Bronson such as the godfather of rap productions, The Alchemist and long-time friend Meyhem Lauren, showing Bronson’s loyalty to those he loves.

Track 8’s “Sergio” produced by The Alchemist is the perfect song to accent any day-to-day activities you have going on. Bronson basically just vents on this song but somehow, his vents just further prove how much swag he’s got going on. Filled with jokes about Shaquille O’Neal, positive affirmations, and more references to the sea, this track is yet another example of his raw writing talent. A lyric I’d like to highlight would have to be “I’m high and twisted, some would say divine and mystic.” That’s just a great rhyme that you cannot deny.

I’ve seen Bronson live twice at a pub a couple of towns over and one song he frequently performs always stands out and that would have to be track 3’s “Latin Grammys.” Admitting his incapabilities to touch his toes to the seamless transition to the verse about Suplex City. Hearing that part live with everyone screaming it was one of the most electric live performances I’ve ever witnessed.

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACHLAVA THE DOCTOR (2024)

Quite the name right?

This became my album of the Summer for a multitude of reasons. From the beachy beats of track 1’s “SPLASH (PROVOCATIV)” to the random Shavkat Rakhmonov (future UFC welterweight champ) bar on track 5’s “SALVAJE”, this album is a chef’s kiss.

Track 10’s “SHADOW REALM” easily takes the cake for me using Al Martino’s “This Is My Song” as the ethereal sample and Bronson’s lyrical flow complimenting it seamlessly, it was my song of the summer. I have a vivid memory of this song from seeing him live; he was about to queue up an older track, but then said “scratch that, take ‘em to the shadow realm,” and it further solidified this as a top song by Bronson, for me.

Track 4’s “HIDEO NOMO” brings an extremely unique vibe that only reminds me of Otis Redding’s “Just One More Day” due to the transcendent beat and dreamy guitar strums provided by Human Growth Hormone’s guitarist, Julian Love. If I could pick any lyric from this heavenly track, it would have to be this random stray: “Me and you are not friends, David Schwimmer.”

As I mentioned before, Bronson is a jack of all trades.

Not only having a consistent album rollout, but he also hosts a show that consists of him and his friends sitting in a room where everything is a green screen and they watch Ancient Aliens. He is partnered up with New Balance where he creates the finest line of athletic wear, and a prominent Knicks fan often appears on the sideline getting really passionate. Oh, he was also a playable character in EA’s UFC 4 video game.

It’s so easy to get into Action Bronson as there are numerous angles you can take and cater to your interests. If you are overwhelmed with where to begin, start with his food shows; I can’t recommend it enough.

Leo Weisfelner is a third-year majoring in telecommunications. To contact him, email lhw5076@psu.edu.