“It was a stormy winter. I watched the city burn. And ever since I can remember; that’s just the way it hurts. And it goes on & on & on, like I can never see the pinnacle of it all” – Yebba
West Memphis, Arkansas native Yebba makes her well-deserved Lyrical Lemonade debut with an amazing song and accompanying visual titled “Louie Bag.” Featuring superstar artist Smino, the track employs glorious piano production over the graceful vocals of Yebba. Sonically the offering has shades of indie with Smino’s hip-hop and R&B duality to create not only one of the most unique, but pleasing songs of the year. The lyrics are mysteriously fascinating, as a listener can mislead themselves into believing “Louie Bag” is merely a luxurious flex record. Instead, the Louie bag serves as a clever metaphor for Yebba’s fluctuating friendships and upbringing, with her attraction to ‘living large’ as a fanciful fragment. It also represents the grim reality of losing her mother, which has brought upon unending grief and confusion. There’s plenty of conceptual layers to Yebba’s words, which I’d personally love to see broken down from the artist herself. Achieving a fine balance between musical satisfaction and conceptual depth is no easy feat, and it’s equally impressive that Smino effortlessly aligned his verse to Yebba’s storyline. For instance, Smino emphasizes that the town “never showed love to the brown” to create his own personal experience by comparison and contrast to Yebba’s. Cinematically the music video shows several images as well as video clips of a young Yebba, which gives the listener a visual element to their imaginative experience. Moreover, the present-time version of Yebba driving with Simo in the countryside represents the artist recalling her childhood. Flashes of fire are ominously symbolic, as they represent not only a burning city but also Yebba’s warning to not let it [the Louie bag] overflow. It’s always admirable when an artist shares a piece of their truth; especially through their most vulnerable and/or arduous lens for the world to see. Watch the official video for “Louie Bag” below!