Bodega Bamz is one of the foundational members of the New New York movement and on "Dark Celebration," he proves once again that East Harlem is in good hands. Bamz has been on a nice roll to kick off 2016 and follows up "Under Pressure" with another solid loosie. The born and raised Harlemite is unapologetically egotstical as he talks big money. Despite the cash talk, Bamz also admits that he has used his bread to put his family in a better position. Reconnecting with The Martinez Brothers, who collabed with Bamz for 2014's Sunday Service project, Bodega rides the beat effortlessly for solid release.

XXL caught up with Bamz in 2015 and he spoke about the New New York movement and his Sidewalk Exec album. "Being that we broke a lot of barriers, being that New York was in a shitty place three, four years ago, then you had a bunch of young niggas fuck shit up and now everyone is paying attention, I feel like everything we do has to be an improvement from the past," he said. "Sidewalk Exec is better than Strictly 4 My P.A.P.I.Z.. The videos that are coming out for Sidewalk Exec are better than the videos for Strictly 4 My P.A.P.I.Z. Everything I do now is to improve and push the envelope farther. I know that whether people want to pay homage or not, or if people want to say they got it from us or not, people are watching. I see a lot of people taking styles and I see a lot of people shoot videos the way we do. To me it’s a blessing, man, to be able to inspire."

See 40 Hip-Hop Albums Turning 20 in 2016

More From XXL