At this point in time, I’ve been heavily invested in the underground music scene for the better part of a decade. While this scene is so diverse and multifaceted, I’d be lying if I said I was an expert on even a fraction of the artists coming up right now, but I do feel confident in saying that there are certain talents whom I’ve learned from and watched grow over the previous handful of years, and Drayco McCoy is at the top of my list.
Ever since his early days in music, his raw, gritty disposition and sound are what drew me in, to begin with, but watching him grow, mature, and just get better in so many facets of his music have made him a household staple on any playlist of mine. Not only this, but I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know him a bit more personally over the past year or two to the point where I consider him a friend, so I always want to see him thrive and conquer with anything he puts out.
Last week, he messaged me and told me about his upcoming album Half Dead Pariah, and even though I had no clue what to expect from this drop, I knew he was sitting on a gold mine just from the way he was so excited about this body of work. Finally, after a few sleepless nights of staying up late in anticipation, the project is here, and man, it was worth the wait. With 17 songs that clock in at just over 41 minutes long that are all produced by blkyth and Bobby Tryll, it’s a much more complex and lengthier album than what we’re used to hearing in the current, distraction-prone world of online music that this industry has come to be, but there’s not a single second on this project that leaves you wanting more, and that says so much about his artistry and talent.
While there is way too much to cover throughout this project in order to do it justice in a short article, there are some songs I wanted to highlight before letting you tune in and see its greatness for yourself. The openers on this album like “I’m Not Sorry”, “Ridin to the Bank”, and “Can’t Wait” all bring so much energy and intricacy to the project, giving Drayco energetic and aggressive foundations for him to build off of, and while he uses some of these instrumentals to show off some melodic vocals and dexterous flows, at the end of the day, his hard-nosed personality is never going to stop being anything short of gripping.
Then there are cuts such as “Too Faded” and “My Momma Told Me” where things slow down slightly, allowing Drayco to get his thoughts together completely and provide us with a bit more of a truthful, revealing, and introspective point of view that sort of evens out the project and humanizes it, allowing fans to connect with him on a more personal level. With only two features in BIGBABYGUCCI and Sirius Blvck, Drayco makes sure that he carries the weight on the bulk of this project, and even though these guest inclusions are remarkable, no one is stealing any of the spotlight from the Indiana native for even a moment.
Once again, I could go on and on for weeks on end about how much I feel like this project is a gamechanger for Drayco, but my words will only go so far, so no matter what you’re doing or where you are in life, you need to make it a priority to check out Drayco McCoy’s brand-new project Half Death Pariah immediately and see its greatness for yourself.