Peace.
Fred might be the corniest name ever. And a rapper named Fred?! Let me tell you now though, if you stumble across music from the emcee Fred the Godson, you’d be a fool to judge his music by his name. I’d assume he’s well known in New York Hip Hop circles, as he’s been faithfully holding the Bronx down, but he’s nowhere near as popular as he should be nationally.
Here’s why he’s dope: his lyrics are BANANAS. From double entendres to metaphors to word play, he’s likely more clever than your favorite rapper. For far too long, cats been coming with fake mob names or some other corny mess to try and create buzz. Fred lets his barz build his rep. And imagine that: an emcee being known because of his lyricism?! (#petty)
I first became a fan of his work when I heard a few of his mixtapes, but you don’t have to go back far to find heat from Fred. He dropped Contraband 2 in 2016 that bangs from track 1-19. If you haven’t heard it, stop reading right now and write yourself a note that reads: “Buy Fred the Godson’s Contraband 2 album.” Go ahead… I’ll wait.
Like I said, the whole album bangs, but there are still some tracks that stand out. The first of which is the title track “Contraband 2” which samples the classic Jay line for the hook: “Blame Reagan for making me into a monster. Blame Oliver North and Iran Contra….” But my favorite joint is Black Power. Superficially, one might think it’s because of the title but that’s not the case. The beat is fire and the flow is fearlessly optimistic. He touches on Eric Garner, Freddie Gray, and Black Lives Matter, but between misery and masterful wordplay, the track is filled with a relentless hope for forging a better tomorrow.
Once you check Contraband 2 out, you can thank me for the plug on Twitter, or on the Vaytus Facebook page.
If you want to hear music from dope underground emcees like Fred the Godson, be sure to check out the Vaytus app in the iOS App Store
Music for the Rest of Us is an exploration of dope music made with artistic integrity— music that’s about something more than just the turn up. Written by Aniefre Essien.
