Action Bronson Breaks Down Every Track on ‘Mr. Wonderful’

Bronsolino tells the stories behind the songs on his major label debut.

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Complex Original

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Everything seems funny when Action Bronson says it—even when he’s not joking. Like when he says that, while making "A Light in the Addict," he was thinking about what the public's reaction would be if they learned he died from autoerotic asphyxiation. After all, this is the guy who told us that his new album, Mr. Wonderfulis akin to "licking the back of a knee." But this go around, the rapper born Ariyan Arslani in Flushing, Queens, who made a career with hilarious bars masked in a husky voice reminiscent of some New York City rap stalwarts, is serious. It's his first project on a major label (Vice/Warner Bros.), and a body of work he says he's immensely proud of. It's also an album on which he works with some new producers like Noah "40" Shebib. He's even singing on this joint. 

After taking a bunch of interviews a The W Hotel in Austin, Texas, during SXSW, Action finished a blunt the size of a churro, opened a container of oatmeal (he's trying to eat healthier these days), and ran through each track on Mr. Wonderful. 

Damien Scott is the deputy editor of Complex Music. Follow him @thisisdscott.

1. "Brand New Car"

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Producer: Mark Ronson

Action Bronson: "I love Billy Joel. 'Zanzibar' is one of my favorite songs. This is the breakdown to 'Zanzibar.' That sample we took from Billy was that, we just replayed it. [This song has] one of my favorite piano stabs, the guitar.... It's just incredible. That's kind of like the intro to everything, letting everyone know: Your savior is here. Batman is here. Gotham is safer now. As I say in the song, 'There's always a new joker in town, ready to smoke you with the pound, when he shoots it, the flag says bang. He's a joke, he ain't fucking with me.'" 

2. "The Rising" f/ Big Body Bes

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Producer: Statik Selektah

Action Bronson: "This is one of my favorite joints because when you put it on you just wanna throw your head through the wall. It has the beautiful gospel singing on the chorus, it has Body talking shit—he has one of the best verses he's ever done. I have my man Chauncy Sherod singing the little faint 'Oh, baby, when I rise....' It's a beautiful thing.

"When I start off 'The Rising,' I want you to think about Terminator when he arrives on Earth. He's naked in a ball and lightning is striking. It's a crazy scene, there's thunder all over, then: 'I've arrived. The Terminator has arrived.' That's that song." 

3. "Terry"

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Producer: The Alchemist 

Action Bronson: "'Terry' is my favorite song on the album. Produced by the Alchemist. We were in a funk for a little bit, so we call it. It wasn't really a funk whatsoever. We did 'Big League Chew' and 'Terry' in the same day. 'Terry' was the one that got Al out of his quote-unquote beat-making funk. And me just rhyming on that just made me feel like a fucking man. If I heard that beat anywhere else, if anyone else had it, I would be so fucking pissed. I would be heartbroken. I'm just glad that I have that joint. And then that extra piece that comes on the end of it is where we get a little psychedelic and deep. Again, my man Chauncy Sherod is singing 'What are we waiting for?' Just giving you a little entrance into opportunity be knocking." 

4. "Actin Crazy"

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Producer: Noah "40" Shebib, Omen 

Action Bronson: "This joint was pretty much...the thing that was presented to me. 40 doesn't work with everybody. Boom. He wants to work with me. If the opportunity is there you know I'm going through that door. That's how it is for me. I made that opportunity happen, and we made a beautiful song." 

5. "Falconry" f/ Meyhem Lauren and Big Body Bes

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Producer: The Alchemist 


Action Bronson:  "This is another one produced by the legend Alchemist. Me and Mayhem Lauren with Big Body on it. When I heard this beat, it was for something he was doing with British Knights. I was like, 'Yo, I need this!' I laid down eight bars and I left. I finished the song in Copenhagen and sent it over to him. It's one of those joints that...it kicks you in the dick." 

6. "THUG LOVE STORY 2017 THE MUSICAL (Interlude)"

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Producer: N/A 

Action Bronson: "This is just my man Ezra from the L.E.S. pouring his heart out to me in front of Katz Deli." 

7. "City Boy Blues" f/ Chauncy Sherod

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Producer: 88-Keys, Party Supplies 

Action Bronson: "The next three songs are meant to be a little musical within itself on the album. When I heard the beat I said, 'I'm not rapping on this.' I wrote a song on the spot. I laid it down about 47 times until I got what I wanted. Then we got it mixed by one of the most legendary mix engineers in the game, Tom Elmhurst, who's won non-stop Grammys and is a fucking chief, you know? He made it come to life. I'm proud of myself for this one for having the nuts to let it come out on my album." 

8. "A Light in the Addict" f/ Party Supplies, Black Atlass

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Producer: Party Supplies 

Action Bronson: "That seamlessly transitions into 'A Light in the Addict,' which is an introspective-type thing. I actually wrote it while I was on the plane sitting in first class, feeling like shit. Naturally, you stare out the window, you're like, 'Fuck, if we fall....' You're always thinking about that shit. So, [I was thinking] if I jump will you feel it when I land? It's kind of like, would you cry if I died with a belt around my neck? Or would you be like, hell yeah? If you knew that I died from strangulation while fucking would you be happy or would you be sad?" 

9. "Baby Blue" f/ Chance the Rapper

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Producer: Mark Ronson 

Action Bronson: "This is the triumphant ending to that musical. This is me saying, 'Fuck you, you can't fuck with me. I'm moving on to bigger and better things. You broke my heart, this and that, it's time to move on. I'ma show you through this beautiful music and horn presentation.' Me and Mark Ronson made that song together in London, and then I left and Chance had just came into London. He was apparently working with Ronson. Ronson played him that song and he was like, 'I gotta get on it.' He got on it, he sent it to me, I was like, 'let's go.'" 

10. "Only in America" f/ Party Supplies

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Producer: Oh No 

Action Bronson: "This is like my Journey, Eddie Money type of song. It's '80s rock ballad-inspired. There's also an incredible almost comical ragtime type of piano solo." 

11. "Galactic Love"

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Producer: The Alchemist 

Action Bronson: "This is a cool down. I've sent you through this crazy trip and we're cooling down now. We're cooling down for a magnificent ending. So I hit you with the [Action pantomimes a bass guitar]. You know, the crazy, beautiful, jazz bass line with the very light drums in the background and just hit you with the bars. I got my mother on the hook." 

12. "The Passage (Live From Prague)"

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Producer: Party Supplies 

Action Bronson: "'The Passage' is the type of thing where you're playing live you do this before you do your grand finale. This is an extension of the music. You're playing this intro before you go into your, you know, finale. We went into the studio to finalize the album for five days. In those days, on the last day Party Supplies and I created this one right here. This is just a storyline almost like an extended four-and-a-half minute intro into 'Easy Rider.' This is the passage to 'Easy Rider' so it takes you on this psychedelic journey with keys playing and guitar playing and vocals coming from over here and over there into a chant of my name because it's live in Prague, apparently. [Laughs.]" 

13. "Easy Rider"

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Producer: Party Supplies 

Action Bronson: "Then we go into the intro for 'Easy Rider.' A very religious man comes on and in Spanish tells everyone to sit down. And then he says, 'And now, here are the words of God.' [Action begins to hum.] 'Easy Rider' is one of the best things I've ever created in my life. It's a beautiful song. The perfect end to everything that came prior. We end on a fucking crack of the lightning and the thunder into a Curt Chambers guitar solo and we just ride the fucking Harley into the sunset." 

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