I know I’m a few days late to Matt Ox’s latest single “Beam Me Up”, and if it wasn’t for the iconic hitmaker Jetsonmade, I most likely don’t think I would have tuned in. If I’m being totally honest, I have been known to not really be the biggest Matt Ox fan in the world. I just had a tough time seriously listening to such a young rapper spit bars about things he had most likely never experienced before, but I knew how loyal his fanbase was, so I just let it be. Then, a couple of years ago, he collaborated with one of my favorite rappers currently, Valee, and that song somewhat transformed my view of the Philadelphia rapper. I still didn’t pay too much attention to him because I just had other artists I enjoyed more and I was more concerned with, but I think it’s time I start listening up a bit more. Undoubtedly, I don’t think he’ll ever be my favorite rapper or anything of that nature, but I at least respect the moves he has made at an age when he should have been getting ready to go to high school instead of making music, so I give him props if nothing else.
As far as “Beam Me Up” goes, Jetsonmade made another one, as his producer tag would suggest. He does this through some eerie, somewhat shadowy synths, a pan flute of sorts, and industrial sounding background noises before chattering percussion and deep, booming bass enter the scene. Before Matt’s verse begins, his vocals can be heard pretty much mumbling and almost whining as he repeats the track’s title with a voice riddled with electronically altered effects. After the beat eventually drops, Matt tones down the whining slightly to make his words a bit more understandable, but they’re still slurred in a somewhat melodic fashion. The cadences he uses show clear influences of some of the industry’s top trap artists, and although they might not be completely original, they’re not easy to pull off as effortlessly at Matt does, so I tip my hat to the skills he has clearly been practicing to perfect.
His energy is definitely the most notable part of this entire track, as he brings a lot of life and animation to the song regardless of his words or flows. At certain points, he stretches out some of his lyrics to add another dimension to the track, and this is one of the sonic elements that I always enjoy hearing to divide up some of the monotony that can come with certain Rap records. His verse only lasts for about a minute before coming to an end and allowing the appealing instrumental to run its course for about fifteen more seconds before culminating once and for all. As far as lyrics are concerned, Matt goes into heavy detail about the satisfaction his money and possessions bring him. Not only this, but he believes that having all of these diamonds, designer clothing, and cash actually elevates him to another level, possibly bringing him new levels of confidence or just allowing him to enjoy life to the fullest in a way that people who aren’t as wealthy as him might not be able to.
In my personal opinion, I don’t think this new single is the song that is going to completely turn around my preconceived notions of the Philly rapper, but it definitely didn’t change my opinion of him in a negative way, either. I could tell that he has matured a bit and come a long way from some of the early songs he was putting out, so I think he’s totally trending in the right direction. “Beam Me Up” is Matt Ox’s first release of 2020 despite the fact that the year’s half over, but that could mean that he’s going to attempt to make a run as the year continues, leading to a big second half for the young spitter. Only time will tell but either way, if you’re a fan of Matt Ox, I’m sure his latest single is going to impress you once again.