James D.Pack Jr. a.k.a Dutch Heffnor is from Baltimore MD. Owner, artist and producer of Hoodrilla Thang LLC., he began battling rappers during middle school, before he hooked up with Verb and started writing bars. However the streets were an enticing distraction and trouble was soon on its way. Dutch got arrested for armed robbery and served time in the Maryland correctional facility, after which time he began taking music more seriously. Dutch started a group called Hoodrillaz with his childhood friends, Tre, Riki Fontaine, and Boney Slim who started launching mixtapes all over the city.
But Dutch Heffnor fell back into the tunnel and got arrested for armed robbery again. While facing a 15 year sentence, he decide he could not waste his talent. After receiving 3 years’ probation, he put all he had into his music. He relaunched his career with his Hoodrilla family, and has been building his brand and catalog ever since. He currently has a whole bunch or releases out, including the album, “Dude Noodlez 3”.
Unlike anything else in the genre, “Dude Noodlez 3” is an absolute achievement and the sort of release that some artists spend their entire career chasing. With this record, Dutch Heffnor’s fiery wordplay and extensive flows never settle throughout, putting him on a different level to the majority of his contemporaries, and claiming his position as one of the more talented rappers on the underground circuit.
“Dude Noodlez 3” is an ambitious and progressive work that builds on hip-hop’s current mainstay trends whilst also incorporating its own fantastic musical ideas. It hits the ground flying from the start with the explosive delivery on “PSA”, then flips into a slapping soulful groove on “All I Wanna Say”, before again switching the template on the unrelenting “Head N A Chevy”.
“Round Here” ft. YaDat Blacc introduces a hypnotic melodic hook, showcasing the album’s variety. Dutch Heffnor’s impressive and admirable creativity is strong enough to lift even the most disparate sounds to thrilling heights, and holds the attention of the listener intensely throughout the full-on bangers, “Glory”, “Limits ft. Ace Bino and “Roll Wit Me”. The sonic environment that Dutch places the listener in makes for an outstanding experience.
Dutch hits another near- flawless chain of quality, on the electro sounds of “I Got It” ft, Pooh Gy’D and the anthemic “Skies” ft. SK Da Bishop. The intensely brooding, and soulful atmosphere that resonates so potently on “I Want You” is authentic and fascinating.
The album closer, “FIU”, features an undeniably ear-digging cadence that works well in propelling the instrumentation into a euphoric state. The creativity simply oozes out of Dutch Heffnor’s work, his control of aesthetic, and his ability to craft fantastic sounding music is totally on point.
Despite being one of the most commercially-successful genres, the hip-hop landscape has never been more volatile than it is right now. Everything changes overnight, and the artists chasing fleeting trends often make a big splash, then fade away into obscurity. This doesn’t seem to be the case for Dutch Heffnor. The fact that he can handle such a wide variety of sounds with such proficiency and artistry is a testament to his skill as a creator who is here to stay.
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