We live in a world consumed by trap and electronic beats. The very act of walking outside your front doorsteps can easily mean having your eardrums assaulted by unforgiving bass, thunderous claps, antsy hi-hats, rapid fire snares, and booming kicks. Safe to say, it’s sometimes nice to reminisce on what once was. It feels like an eternity separates the classic, golden era boom bap and today–I say this fully aware that I’m only 22, way too young to feel such nostalgic pains. Nowadays, softer kicks that are easily overpowered by a snappy snare. Both the snare and the kick serve as the perfect compliment to dusty sounding samples. They provide the melodic portion of the song, which seems to have been lost on the general public.
Perhaps I’m being too pessimistic and hip hop is just evolving as it was always meant to. You can’t contain a culture built on rebellion and self expression in a box made of past optimistic memories. Additionally, all of this may prove false with the continuing popularity of artists, like Joey Bada$$, who found their niche in the vintage sounds of their forefathers. Hannibal King, a producer and aspiring emcee from Queens, leans towards this ’93 sound, but also finds a way to make it appealing to a contemporary audience.
Mac Miller, Domo Genesis, Bryant Dope, World’s Fair, and Joey Bada$$ have all called on King to lend their projects his unique sound and production. He is quickly becoming a force in New York, having released multiple full length mixtapes with up-and-coming artist from around the area. While he has garnered a following thanks to his beat making, King is ready to share his voice with world through rapping.
His upcoming project, Floral Print, will be his rapping debut. “Writing On The Wall” is the first single off this project, and it is an example of what fans can expect from the Queens emcee. King, supported by two of his artists, ARXV and Bub Styles, is rapping in front of a brick wall, presumably somewhere in New York. All three emcees rhyme about being underdogs, which because of their more orthodox sound can definitely be believed. Each of their verses displays each of the rappers lyrical talents, but even better, their hunger to be recognize. Instead of spitting only about how they are under appreciated, they rather show you. King’s production is a nice laid back boom bap beat that will have you head nodding softly.
King’s backlog is extensive, but a lot of it can be easily attained on his website. Definitely keep an eye out for his upcoming work as he is one of the most talented producers coming out of Queens right now. If you want a healthy alternative to the loud music on the radio, he is a great choice. You can always turn up after the four minute mark anyways.