Recently, I’ve been covering almost every Guapdad 4000 release that comes out because he has become one of my favorite artists coming out of the West Coast in general. He’s just so charismatic, personable, and likable, and all of these characteristics usually come out in any song he releases. Just last week, Guapdad and !llmind teamed up to release their highly anticipated project called 1176, and while I want to spend more time listening to it before I can truly share my entire opinion, I was impressed with the slight turn he made from scam rapper to a truly artistic emcee beyond some of the comedic subject matter and party anthems he has become known for.
Out of all of the 14 songs, I think it’s safe to say that the penultimate track “Chicken Adobo” was a standout, to say the least, and he’s continuing the rollout for the project in a big way with a music video directed by none other than Chris Simmons. Opening up, someone is reading a comic book based on a superhero portrayed by Guap and as the song begins, we’re transported to this magical animated world where the artist flies around as his long durag flails in the wind behind him. Just when I thought the entire visual was going to be in this cartoonish world, we’re taken back to reality as the person reading the book happens to be a lovely lady that Guap has his eyes set on.
From here, the couple has themselves a day as they head to the beach, check out a food truck (where they eat what I assume is chicken adobo), and cruise around in the back of a convertible eating their meals as they cuddle up and enjoy each other’s company. Towards the end, the woman panics from the beach as Guap seems to be being chased by a shark in the ocean. As he washes up on the shore, he seems to absorb her energy within himself, transforming from a normal person to the superhero that was shown in the comic book and flying off into the sky.
Once again I definitely want to give 1176 a lot more time to resonate before I can comment on it, but I’ve had nothing but great things to say about the singles that he has released leading up to the project, and that continues with this song and visual as well. It might be slightly more uncharacteristic based on some of his other vibey West Coast bangers, but this shows a different side of the artist that’s a little more serious and heartfelt as opposed to comical and sarcastic. All I’m saying is, I’m so excited that we. Have a new Guapdad project after waiting a couple of years, and if you’re even slightly into the visual for “Chicken Adobo” as you should be, make sure you check out the rest of the album as soon as you get the chance.