Bankroll Fresh's 'Life Of A Hot Boy' at 10: A Retrospective
The late Atlanta rapper never had the chance to reach the heights of his career, but his influence is still felt a decade later.
2014 was an impactful year for Atlanta.
The National Center for Civil and Human Rights opened. The Braves finished 2nd in the NL East. The Hawks lost in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
Godfather of modern Trap music Gucci Mane was in jail.
Misunderstood major label artist Future was coming off the success of Honest and in the midst of a cheating scandal with then-fiancee Ciara, which would then evolve into one of the most impactful release runs in all of music of all time, something that could only be compared to the frenzy of mixtapes which Gucci Mane dropped between 2008-12.
Weirdo rap had made its way in, with Makonnen being signed to OVO. Hypebeast rapper-turned-vampire Playboi Carti was relatively unknown, being seen as a rapper that was signed to Father’s Awful Records at the time that tracks like Holyfield and Talk were making their way around Soundcloud. Young Thug’s Dun Deal-produced single Stoner led him to be picked up by Birdman, forming the legendary Rich Gang trio with Rich Homie Quan.
All of this at a time when rap in the A started doing less production-wise. Songs like OG Bobby Johnson, Look At Wrist and Danny Glover showed the sheer simplicity of letting the artist breathe on increasingly lighter beats. And then Bankroll Fresh came and dropped Life Of A Hot Boy.
By this time, Bankroll Fresh was not well-known to many. Born Trentavious White in 1987, the rapper found his way into some level of popularity by rapping as Yung Fresh, making a somewhat-known appearance on the hook of Sportscenter by then-sensei Gucci Mane (also one of the latter’s greatest songs and mixtapes of his entire discography).
Fresh would then go on to drop a mixtape with Zaytoven titled Street Motivation, which didn’t land a lot of impact on the then-flooded scene of mixtape artists all vying for an appearance on the LiveMixtapes front page (this tape landed itself on the site’s Indy section, so even worse). Whilst unknown, the project was great and showed a lot of potential. He even landed more appearances on Gucci tracks, appearing on Shooters (another Gucci Classic) off iconic-tier tape Trap God and My Customer, from 2014 jail project Brick Factory, Vol. 1.
Then came the rebrand. Appearing as Bankroll Fresh, 2013 saw videos for singles 36 and Profit. The latter would prove a minor success on the Atlanta street-rap scene, with 151,000 views on YouTube to date. A working relationship with somewhat up-and-coming producer Mike Will would lead to a post-LOAHB appearance on Game For A Lame from Ransom, a classic tape of the time.
Then came Life Of A Hot Boy. This was a mixtape that damn near matched the level of rapping that Gucci Mane was showcasing in 07/08’. This is still damn near one of my favourite mixtapes ever. Backed with production from D. Rich (who produced a majority of tracks off this project), Zaytoven, Izze The Producer (wtf happened to him?!) and 808 Mafia, you can see why.
Out Da Mudd is the perfect intro. Backed by a signature style D. Rich beat, Bankroll disses his teachers who ‘couldn’t teach me shit’, being independent and signed to the streets, as well as how he’s ‘the realest it gon’ be’.
Hot Boy was the ultimate street-approved banger of 2014. If you were following Atlanta rap at this time, this definitely appeared on your YouTube feed at some point. Produced by Cassius Jay, along with then-sensei Zaytoven, this was a trap classic, with a hook referencing all the members of 90s NOLA outfit The Hot Boyz.
Show ‘Em How To Do It featured Type of Way and now-irrelevant rapper Rich Homie Quan, ESPN sampled the Sportscenter theme for fuck’s sake, New York Freestyle showed Bank’s affinity for the East Coast and how to rap on boom-bap beats, Do Ya Thang was a song for the clubs and Project Bitch channeled the 90s NOLA sound way before Drake did it, whilst rapping about basically teaching a girl from the projects serious game.
Some of my favourites are on the second half of this project, with I Wanna Live showing Bank crooning on the hook of a ridiculous 2014-era Metro Boomin (look at him now!) and Southside (him too!) beat, whilst Come Wit It, produced by 808 Mafia compatriot TM88, showcased Bank’s flair for styling on the previously-mentioned, stripped back sounds of the-then popular ATL soundscape.
Bet It was another minor hit, raking in over a million views on YouTube. Featuring Quicktrip (who?) and Strap Da Fool (from Travis Porter, remember them?), this was another trap tearout track about selling drugs and killing anyone that gets in the way.
The best song off of this project is none of these aforementioned tracks. It’s G-Code. Produced by Izze The Producer, who was coming off an insane production streak for then-Gucci Mane affiliate Young Dolph, Rich The Kid, Jeezy, Chaz Gotti (don’t get me started), Waka Flocka Flame, Gucci Mane himself and more, this track showcased Bank’s flair for rapping on a polar opposite type of beat that he would normally rap on. And he did it flawlessly.
All in all, this a project you will have to experience for yourself. Clocking in at 76 minutes across 24 tracks, this is a tape that’ll have your gym sessions, car rides, or commutes turned ever-so-slightly up. LOAHB was supported by an EP, a sequel (which we will cover next year), and a posthumous self-titled.
Yes, unfortunately Bankroll Fresh would find himself dead at 28, following a shootout with former friend No Plug outside a recording studio. The whole thing is a tragedy that should never have happened.
Bank’s death was mourned heavily, but the influence remained strong. Jeezy would posthumously feature Bank on All There, which to this day is probably one of Jeezy’s best songs (for the record, please watch this video of it being played during the Gucci/Jeezy Verzuz. Shit had me dancing in my room). The production of D.Rich would feature heavily on Jeezy’s 2020 EP 20/20 Pyrex Vision, in which the inspiration that Bank likely got from Jeezy the inspired himself to get back in his bag.
Further inspiration would be seen via Chief Keef’s Almighty So 2, a project that emanates the 2014 sound that D.Rich bought to some level of popularity, and the 2020s Soundcloud rap generation of Rage kids spitting on Shawty Redd/D. Rich type beats further stamps this influence of Bankroll on the rap game (see Summrs’ Nightfall EP for reference).
As I get older, I forget how profound some of these projects were at the time, and for me, Bankroll Fresh’s Life Of A Hot Boy is one of them. RIP Bankroll. We miss you.