Babyface Ray is undoubtedly one of the hottest artists in rap right now. In early December, the 26-year-old dropped his sophomore studio album MOB. The album included an elite feature roster and a handful of momentum-building singles like "Nice Guy" and "Spend It." Collaborations with Blxst, Lil Durk and Doe Boy highlighted the record, which was his second of 2022. In January, his stellar studio debut FACE officially certified Detroit-style rap to be one of the hottest sub-genre in the game. Uplifting colleagues like Icewear Vezzo and Veeze on the album, Babyface Ray climbed the ranks into mainstream acclaim.
As for 42 Dugg, also a native of Detroit, his 2022 brought a different type of excitement. Being signed to both CMG and 4PF, he has an abundance of talent and expertise at his disposal. Because of this, he collaborates with a multitude of hip-hop's hierarchy. Dugg displayed that In April when he linked up with CMG's EST Gee for a joint album titled Last Ones Left. The project saw them recruit feature guests like BIG30, Tae Money, and a few of Gee's EST homies. Spanning 17 songs, Dugg proved that his style can mesh with several different artists.
Babyface Ray & 42 Dugg Unite
To jumpstart their respective 2023 campaigns, Face and Dugg decided it would be best to bring their powers together. On Wednesday (Feb. 8), the duo put out a new single titled "Ron Artest." This is actually the duo's ninth collaboration, with their most recent prior connection being "Let Me Down" on FACE. However, "Ron Artest" sees Face carry most of the load this time. "Ron Artest" opens with an audio clip of the NBA icon after he won the 2009 NBA Finals. Artest, who has changed his name multiple times and now goes by Metta Sandiford-Artest, spoke about Kobe Bryant in the clip: "He passed me the ball, he never passed me the ball. He passed me the ball, Kobe passed me the ball and I shot a three."
Channeling Artest's well-renowned, chip-on-his-shoulder attitude, Face rattles off impressive bars. Lyrics like "My mind f**ked up, can't f**k with nobody /
Dеalin' with heartbreak, I don't love nobody" and "Right now, I'm courtside like Spike Lee / Gettin' rich off rap, man, life free" see Face going to work during his singular verse. Towards the end, Dugg comes in for a smooth outro, where he tributes both of his labels. "4 Pockets Full and they ain't CMG / Put the music to the sides, bitch, I'm signed to the streets," he raps. Let us know what you thought of this track, down in the comments below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for more news and updates from around the music world.
Quotable Lyrics:
Yeah, you in the streets but you lost, you a deer (Lost)
N****s writin' for a rap buzz, I don't care (Why?)
Miss me with the rap shit, I was there (Facts)
Live in the flesh, Ron Artest
Counted me out, came back, I'ma champ (Ballin')
"Ron Artest"
[Via]