Artists of the Year: OMB Peezy

OMB Peezy’s rise and the recent release of the Cardo-produced Humble Beginnings cements his ability as a songwriter

 

<iframe width=”100%” height=”450″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”no” src=”https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/358946111&color=%2310d2de&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true”></iframe>

 

I’ve always been a huge fan of E-40’s taste in artists he signs to his label, Sick Wid It Records. OMB Peezy is no exception. I first heard ‘Loyalty Over Love’ while combing through blogs before I knew anything about his background. The song was hard and bouncy, his voice a venerable homage to Boosie with trappier cadences. Once I saw Nef The Pharoah in the video thizzing I was with sold on Peezy.

 

Over the next few months I came across loose singles that filled his SoundCloud and Youtube pages, and I was blown away by how hard all of them went. ‘When I Was Down’ pushes issues of loyalty in the street, and asking where you were when he was at his worst point. I had never before heard somebody to spit this way over these Bay Area-esque beats since maybe E-40 himself. Try to deny his multi-syllabic cadences on ‘Pressure’. ‘Porch’ is a funky southern anthem that questions people’s ability to comprehend the situations they rap about. This last theme is something he often addresses, and sets him apart from his contemporaries. You can really tell where his head is at: it’s deeper than rap.

 

But ‘Lay Down’ is the one. The way he hits the notes when he sings “Murder murder murder kiillll kill, going thoo a, nigga miiiind when I’m loading up them K rounds’ is like sugar in my brain. He raps in and out on the pocket, rapping and stretching bars into notes and breaking into his signature flow. He uses his voice like an instrument, concerned not only with the words that he’s rapping but the way it sounds, hope everything fits into the mix.

 

As soon as Humble Beginnings dropped I was firmly convinced of his staying power. Cardo’s beats slap as usual, making each beat so personally tethered to Peezy’s abilities it allows the rapper to get comfortable enough to be vulnerable. The smooth ‘Love You Back’ is the standout because it’s openness on the dynamics and evils of street life. Bars like ‘Tryna get to it/ tired of goin thoo the same thang, I don’t see how you lil niggas do it,’ and ‘You can love the streets lil nigga/ but answer one question for me lil nigga/ how you gon love somewhere when you know fa sho you gotta keep yo pistol… just know that bullets burn, and you ain’t ready for that heat lil nigga,’ show such emotional complexity that isn’t usually shown with other rap artists of his generation. His thinking is much deeper. Kicking in doors has a fantastical rush and appeal, shooting guns is fun, but in his heart he knows this life sucks and he’d do anything to get out of it.

 

OMB Peezy is special. He far surpasses many younger artists in rapping ability, he knows how to pick beats, and he has legends behind him. I’m excited to see where his career goes from here.

 

Artists of the Year: OMB Peezy, 10.0 out of 10 based on 1 rating