The Florida rap scene has long been something that I have been enthralled by, and that is something that I don’t think will ever change. While there is a certain style that has blown up that sounds almost like a southern spin on drill or trap music, there are so many other kinds of music that I simply can’t get enough of. Before I knew about Kodak Black, Hotboii, 9lokknine, or any of those artists, I was consistently bumping talents like Denzel Curry and Pouya, and it was these two talents specifically that made me realize just how diverse and talented this region of the country truly was.
I may have gotten into Pouya’s music through some of his more high energy, aggressive tracks like “1000 Rounds” with Ghostemane or “Suicidal Thoughts in the Back of the Cadillac”, but over the years, the way he has been able to incorporate much more of his heart and mental roadblocks into his songs has brought out a different, more mature side of himself that I seriously believe shows him at his very best.
Last year, Pouya dropped off yet another full-length LP entitled Blood was Never This as Water, an album that contained 11 songs running just over 35 minutes long with features from Denzel and Lu baby, and it was once again a project where the Floridian rapper was able to get diverse and deep within his lyrics and style. Although I wasn’t expecting it, I was elated to find out he dropped a Midvessel-directed music video for the album’s penultimate track “Stuck in Admiration” which was produced by Mikey the Magician and Rocci.
In this one, Pouya pretty much cruises around in a desert of sorts spitting his lyrics. As it continues, though, old fashion clips of strange and somewhat macabre scenes are shown, and although I’m not sure what they all mean, the random chaos within these visuals make me believe that they’re a bit of a metaphor for some of the mental struggles that the legendary rapper is dealing with inside of his own mind. I could be totally off base with this thought process, but make sure to check out the video for “Stuck in Admiration” to see for yourself and form your own ideation of what these things might represent.