After having relatively limited knowledge about the up-and-coming Louisiana rap scene prior to the last few months, my taste has recently evolved and caught on to the bubbling hotbed for new artists. Earning his stripes on the road touring over the years, New Orleans rapper, Alfred Banks, has had a steady rise in popularity since first releasing some of his earlier discography on Spotify back in 2015. A NOLA head through and through, Banks reps the blossoming southern rap scene with pride and has become a name to know when it comes to hip-hop in the city. Having collaborated with some of the more notable artists to have come-up in The Big Easy over the years (including G-Eazy and Pell) and operated on a level of consistency that few have proven to accomplish, Alfred Banks is a name to know and more than deserving of his Lyrical debut today.
As we’ve seen in the age of TikTok, music is beginning to have a longer lifespan than it ever has and Alfred Banks is putting this strategy in full-effect as he continues to keep his promotional foot on the gas of his 2022 single, “G Wagon”. A record that stands out to me for its fierce energy and ambitious bars, Banks’ vocals cut through the instrumental like a sharp blade as he flaunts his accomplishments and skill. Spitting with confidence overtop of a melodic trap beat with hard-hitting 808s, “G Wagon” feels like the quintessential hype up record or something that could easily be placed in a sports game like the Madden or 2K soundtrack. A beautiful thing about this record (among many others) is how cohesive Banks keeps his message – too many artists fail to keep things in between the lines and Banks delivered a succinct and clear narrative for audiences to latch on to. While I could go on and on about this one, I suggest you all take a listen yourselves using the links below and give “G Wagon” the attention it deserves!