I feel like it seems as if every single day, there’s a new artist emerging out of the depths of the Atlanta Rap scene. While some might be considered clones by certain people, they might be praised even more for their slightly differentiating qualities by others. In the midst of a lot of similar styles and sounds, there are some artists out there trying to break the mold that has taken shape around the city, and one of these artists is Wesson Desir.
His brand-new music video for his song “Let’s Ride our Heelies to the Cosmos” was my first introduction to him, and I have to say, not only was this track inventive and barrier-breaking, but it was also quite revealing and attention-grabbing. As the song begins, a pitched-down voice is speaking in a manner that almost sounds like he’s being rewound consider the words are jumbled and incoherent. After this brief period of the song, a reminiscing, bubbly synth pattern takes over the melody while simplistic percussion and tapping drums assist in providing a wonderfully rhythmic instrumental. The synths come off as being somewhat warm or gritty and almost sound like they’re taken from a record rather than an electronic instrument that might typically be used.
Wesson’s voice is calm yet impactful as he makes his way throughout his verse. He never hesitates or takes any sort of break but rather consistently delivers his bars that flood into your ears and reminisce in your mind. A little later on, he gets a bit more melodious within his cadence although he never fully breaks through and straight up sings, but rather plays with his words in a manner that couples seamlessly with the soulfully jazzy instrumental. None of Wesson’s flows are typical or uninteresting which shows off a truly special talent that not many artists possess, and the further he takes us throughout this song, the more enthusiastic and passionate he seems to grow, giving even more variety to his already dexterous delivery.
As the visual begins, the camera is zoomed in on Wesson’s face as he stares blankly into a fire before an entire plot rewinds and leads us into the song. I guess this makes sense as to why the song sounded rewound, so seeing this part of the video definitely helped clarify things. When it finally stops rewinding and the beat begins, we’re taken to a room where there’s a dim red light that barely illuminates the setting as Wesson stares off into the distance once again. Right before he starts reciting his lyrics, he rubs his eyes and presumably snaps out of the trans he was once in, getting right into his bars as he acts them out with hand movements and dance moves. Other scenes are kept clean through lighting changes including a greenish-yellow setting and an additional blue setting, as well as a few subtle outfit changes throughout. Other than this, there are a few scratchy, blurry moments throughout, but it is kept relatively pure as to not take away from the wonderful lyricism that Wesson put on display for us.
I was beyond surprised as well as excited after listening to this first track. Considering I wasn’t familiar with Wesson Desir prior to this track, I didn’t really know what to expect going into it, but he honestly blew me away. His voice and delivery are smooth, consistent, and unwavering, the instrumental was simple yet emotional, and his emotion shined through incredibly as he changed his tone of voice throughout the track. Considering I’m so close to Chicago and pretty familiar with the different styles that are created within the city, I got some similar vibes from Wesson as I do from artists like Mick Jenkins, Saba, Noname, and others who create a similar, sort of introspective, soulful, and emotive style of music. He just dives much deeper than the surface and takes us with him the whole way, so I’m excited to see what else he has delivered in the past. “Let’s Ride our Heelies to the Cosmos” might sound like a slightly strange title, but the artistry that comes with it is something you just need to hear to understand, so check it out as soon as you possibly can.