Ever since he made his DopeHouse debut back in March, I’ve been keeping tabs on any and everything NC upstart Well$ has had to offer. From the chilling story shared on “Lil Tommy” to the 2dope visuals for “Django,” each release has added to the excitement of his debut full-length.
Where you’re “from” has always held disproportionate weight amongst the African diaspora, especially considering very few of us can point to our true origins on a map. This tension is Well$ primary obsession throughout MTSYD: Revenge of the African Booty Scratcher. The Congolese-American rapper was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, and split his attention between the French rap that naturally found his ears and the American artists he heard at his cousin’s crib. The album finds the 19-year-old straddling the line between trunk-rattling southern bounce and the witty 16s of any Freshman spitter–see the “Bandz A Make Her Dance” flip on “Major Paine,” voicing the complaints of deadbeat dads and the daughters they produce, or the spastic flows of the G.O.O.D-ish “Django.” But album’s core sentiment lands dead-center on “Gaston Two09nin”, via a Tupac soundbite: I feel cheated, because instead of me fulfilling my prophesy I have to start one. Instead of me carrying on the empire I have to build one. And that’s a hell of a job for any youngster. A tall task indeed, but Well$ is off to a good start. [FADER]
Stream/download MTSYD: Revenge of the African Booty Scratcher below.
