Having a sound that is pleasingly varied or balanced is rare in today’s music game. It’s a new world, and with radio and selective regional sounds dominating the airwaves, it’s not uncommon to find artists that that seem to blend into the woodwork, regardless of actual skill. It takes a particular kind of business/creative mind to find a method of taking the popular sound of the moment and using it to give a very dynamic view of what an artist is all about, and what makes him/her tick. Enter VVS, an artist who I admittedly almost wrote off in the forgettable category. That is until I let his current project rock in its entirety.
VVS – an acronym referring diamond grading of “Very Very Slightly” – is a Tennessee-based rapper with two releases under his belt. Following the blueprint of his influences 3-6 Mafia and Master P, V.V.S. has a business mind and has built a solid, independent foundation. His Pimp Edition mixtape series earned him a Knocdown Entertainment award for Mixtape Artist of the Year in 2011, and his hit record, “Polo Man,” received spins all over the country. His newest project, KING ME is now available at all digital distributors. Take it from me, it’s worth more than a few spins.
KING ME is all over the board, yet quite cohesive. It’s ignorant, explicit, reflective, and intelligent. It paints the picture of a man who is living the lap of luxury, while dealing with the slightly deeper emotional scars and baggage that can only be earned through dealing with the gritty lows that come with the shiny highs. He comes off braggadocios on the title track, and sonically lives the life (on wax) you’d expect of a trap star over the catchy FML, and lead single Mac’n. However, it’s on tracks like the heartbreakingly honest Spill My Guts where he shows his real personality – and contextual background. With lines like “ due to life’s strain, I’m immune to pain,” you start to get a clearer picture of why his mind works the way it does. He also (on the same song) details his rocky relationship with his mother, the women in his life, and his backstabbing friends. There’s also the searing Never Change, which describes his distaste following a bitter falling out with one of his day-one cats, “I was the one that fed you, boy, I kept you safe – you turned crooked, I was the one who kept you safe.” He is also extremely self-aware on the track Cheating, where he details the karma involved in his cheating ways with lines like, “I know my bitch cheating… I gave her about a hundred reasons.”
Many artists dabble in the trap style and fail to create the starting power it takes to build and grow with their audience. VVS puts his whole self out there, and it works. I may have failed to articulate it thus far, but the production on this project is top notch. Perfect for cruising around the city with the windows down. Don’t judge a book by its cover or an album by its sub-genre. This project is a diamond with a grading that matches his name.
Early!
For more information on V.V.S follow him at www.twitter.com/VVS_MacN, on Instagram.com/vvs_macn and visit the website www.officialvvs.com.
