IamSteezie

Raliegh Vs. The World!

STEEZIE is back with a new murky-jazz influenced track titled "SUBLIME." A nod to the legendary punk band, the Raleigh artist takes you back to the golden age of hip-hop with his jazzy, trumpet filled beat and his fiery bars. The live instrumentation, hard delivery, and catchy flows that Steezie provides solidifies him as one of the best upcoming multi-talents today. Stream below and see for yourself! - Us Versus World

Early Big K.R.I.T. mixtapes. The mesmerizing short film “As I Am.” Across artists and across mediums, there’s something about a sonic landscape of distant twangs and eerie moans that evokes the old South like no other. Whether it was the intent of Raleigh emcee/producer Steezie or not, on his new song “Sublime,” it’s all I can hear. It’s not until a trumpet chimes in at the end of the song (a distinctly 20th century instrument) that I am catapulted thoroughly back to the present, or at least something resembling it.

Steezie doesn’t let his production do all the work — over the lazy but alluring instrumental, he performs an almost checked-out rendering of the trap delivery that is the cadence du jour in 2018 (rapping semi-quickly during only three beats of a measure, allowing a pocket reserved for ad-libs like “yeah!”), riding a thin line between charismatic and comatose. Usually this rap style is a mere complement to a main course of superficial, “Future Type Beat” production. Here, contemporary raps come alongside a beat with the sound of a historical relic.

The result is a refreshing blend of new and old. “Sublime” is a soundtrack as well-suited for driving to Chipotle as it is for slowly rafting down the Mississippi, even if you’re just slightly more likely to do the former.

Editor’s Note: If you want more of Steezie, he just produced a song for ZenSoFly and Dream Rayne called "Introvert." - Super Empty