It has been absolutely awesome to watch the Florida music scene blow up over the past few months, yet it has honestly been booming for the better half of a decade if not longer if you really think about it. Artists like Denzel Curry, Pouya, Kodak Black, and Ski Mask the Slump God have been popping off for quite some time, and although they might have national fame at this point, it seems like the rest of the country is just starting to catch on to the insane world of underground artists that are popping off at inconceivable rates.
In the same breath, it’s hard to mention Florida without Smokepurpp considering he’s one of the other artists that helped pave the way for many of these new talents to express themselves. While I. have been a big fan of his since the beginning of his rise to fame, the very last thing I was expecting was the sound that he delivers in his latest track “MOB”. While I’m used to hearing the loud, aggressive, and sometimes ignorant Purpp, this song shows us another side of the southern superstar in a way that caught me off guard in all of the best possible ways.
Beginning with the instrumental created by Mike Zara and DSC Sunny, there are some very spacey, ambient synths of some sort that are elevated by spread out, consistently tapping hats and deep, thunderous 808s that give a very space-like vibe to the record right off the bat. At first, it almost sounds like a child is rambling into a microphone, but you quickly realize this is Purpp trying out a new sound that I honestly really enjoy, despite the fact that it catches you off guard as I mentioned previously. His vocals are pitched up and he almost mumbles into the mic, but the way it was recorded it almost sounds like he’s humming or singing rather than rapping, complimenting the higher-pitched synths and psychedelic sounds in the production that consume your eardrums.
Although this is almost the exact opposite of what I expected to hear when I decided to check it out and write about it, I was definitely pleasantly surprised with the experimental aspects of the record. I can’t tell if Purpp is trying to reintroduce himself and go in a different direction or if this is just a one-off thing that we’re not going to hear again, but I was honestly a fan and I hope it’s not the last time we hear this style from him. Along with the track comes a Johnnight- directed visual that is just as trippy, but considering this was such a different sound, I had to focus on the song first and foremost. If you’re as intrigued as I was going into “MOB” you’re going to want to stop everything you’re doing and check out the latest record from Florida’s very own Smokepurpp.