This year has been an excellent one for lyricism in general -- look no further than the stacked batch of Best Rap Album Grammy nominees. But for all intents and purposes, the pandemic has changed the radio circuit entirely, rendering the practice of spitting bars temporarily obsolete. While there is a will, however, there is a way -- and today Reason of TDE has found a way to bring a new freestyle to the masses. True, it's not exactly a radio session per se, but with such an extended drought of free-verse rhyming, it's more than enough.
Teaming with Audiomack for their Bless The Booth series, Reason wastes little time in diving into the percussive instrumental. "Remember rapping on corners, that feeling back, facts n***a," he spits. "Let's take it back n***a, hustle like Nip but ain't nuthin like you rap n***as / more Nipsey, cause if you fuck with my hustle then I slap n***as / TMZ watchin' n***a, TDE poppin, this the soul n***a -- shout out to Soulo."
"Remember these statements," he advises. "Everybody sound alike, so the image is tainted / same flow, same flow, we call that Clippers and Lakers / from a block where n***as pop and kids centers get stapled / shit, a stable mind and I just let my soul out." At this point, it's clear that Reason's pen game is one of his strongest assets, and don't be surprised to see the TDE rapper continue to evolve as a lyricist as the years go on. For him, bodying this "Bless The Booth" is another day in the office. Check it out for yourself, and sound off -- is New Beginnings one of your favorite albums of the year?