Over the past handful of years, hip-hop music has taken so many twists and turns, it can be hard to keep track of new music. At the same time, I’m absolutely in love with all of the inventive artists that are bringing new sounds to life, whether they’re original ideas or a mixture of genres that mash together to form something new because it’s all impressive and unique in its own right, so I couldn’t hate on people trying to push boundaries and try something new.
Pop-punk music has become almost a mainstay in the hip-hop community, and considering I grew up on bands making this kind of music, I am all here for it, but few people are bringing this into the hip-hop landscape as well as Smrtdeath, lil aaron, and LiL Lotus. Together, this trio of friends makes up a group called Boyfriendz, and although they’ve worked together over the past few years very closely, they haven’t released an official Boyfriendz song in quite some time.
This streak ended just the other day, thankfully, as they teamed up once again for a song entitled “sober”, which is a single off of Smrtdeath’s upcoming album it’s fine, which is going to be upon us in a few months on February 4th, 2022, and that can’t come soon enough. Matt Malpass produced this record, incorporating some lively rock drums and punk-inspired guitar riffs before the beat drops and the energy is brought through the roof.
Smrtdeath begins things with a quick verse and the hook, starting things on a high note as he puts his all into his delivery, beginning with an energetic and anxiety-driven contribution. aaron comes in for the second verse, somewhat grounding things slightly with his verse full of passion and even some filters over his vocals that are smooth, hard-hitting, and all-around captivating, leading us into one more chorus before Lotus rounds things out perfectly.
In Lotus’ part, he provides some angsty lines while also showing off a slightly different flow than his counterparts, differentiating himself in an impressive fashion which ultimately leads to what might be my favorite verse on this record, although it’s truly a hard choice. There is never going to be a song from Boyfriendz that I don’t check out, and “sober” blew me away once again, making it a track you’re going to want to play on repeat as soon as you find some time to check it out.