By the middle of the 2010s, formulaic rap–R&B collaborations were no longer passports to commercial success, with the most popular rappers increasingly relying on their own vocal prowess for memorable hooks. Amid this cultural shift came A Boogie wit da Hoodie, a Bronx artist who flaunted his knack for melody on his major-label debut album, The Bigger Artist. Released amid the rise of Cardi B and three years after the arrest of Bobby Shmurda, the LP crystallized A Boogie’s status as one of rap's premier hook makers and a torchbearer for the Big Apple. For the project, he collaborates with artists like PnB Rock, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Trey Songz, and Kodak Black, but more often than not, he's the star of the show. Distilling first-person fly-guy narratives through an infectious singsong flow, A Boogie is able to turn single couplets into self-contained microchoruses that beg to be repeated. On "Say A'," which was inspired by a petty traffic stop, he infuses police taunts with playful wit; his melodic delivery morphs it all into something mischievous. The hook itself only enhances the entrancing effect. A Boogie maintains his style whether he’s bragging about his riches or stunting on his ex. On "Unhappy," he coasts over twinkling piano keys fit for a love song. It's sentimental stuff, but he flips the vibes with mocking lyrics that say, in effect, "I'm doing better without you." With his lithe vocals, A Boogie can convey genuine emotion or casual dismissal, oscillating effortlessly between the two for songs that can be vulnerable, invincible, or somewhere in between. His powers are fully realized on tracks like the Kodak Black–assisted "Drowning." There, the two mix flexes with casual death threats for a rags-to-riches track that's got both quotable lyrics and inescapable, mellifluous half-singing. There, he defines his legacy as the artist with hooks and bars that anyone can find themselves murmuring under their breath.