#illy dee

Every once in a while, music comes out that is so real that it shakes us out of the comfort of entertainment. As Ice Cube nicely explained—"gangster rap" is a reflection of their reality, the streets, America. With each new generation it (the music, and no doubt the reality, too) seems to get harder and more brazen. “Gangster rap” moves along with the evolution of music and the world, and this is all to set up the opinion that this stuff here is the new frontier.

7981 Kal reveals himself to be a big dog in the streets, but not by way of trendy flows, cute threats, or dancy melodies, which often blur the authenticity of the words. He soberly and firmly tells his actions, intentions, and lifestyle. He is serious about who he is and who you should know him to be, and this put into music is enough to send shivers through you. It’s a little too far real to be entertaining, and rather is a shut-up-and-listen ride into a mind you didn’t want to ACTUALLY ride along into. I wanted dancy shooting music, not shooter shooting music?! So, if you’re curious about the world of modern Boston streets, you should listen.

As I’ve described, one of 7981 Kal’s specialties is being perfectly clear about himself, and when someone can do this and you feel it is real, that is a special artist. On this tape, he paints the picture of the streets around him, with him on top, fearless, standing on top of his résumé. He doesn’t hold back with the darkness. It’s in every beat, in his brash tone of voice, the choruses, and the words he speaks. Yet under his unwavering confidence, there is a deeper reflection of a cheated world, a victimhood—the ground that America rests on. In every glimpse of (relative) vulnerability throughout his lyrics you are able to feel sympathy for the man.

My momma said she wish I chose a different route

You told me be successful so I'm grinding tryna make it out

Now go ahead and tell me what you mad about

Anything you ask me for I got you what you sad about?

In this moment you glimpse Kal as a boy who stood up and did everything he could to take control of his situation, an alpha that took the streets and strangled them—an exemplary product of his environment. There’s a certain type of rap that stops you, stops America, in its tracks and makes you ask- holy shit, is this who we are, for real? I think, in today’s moment, this is that rap.

https://soundcloud.com/user-663497875/sets/devil-in-disguise

After thoughts:

I should note that within the first 24 hours of this tape dropping the project had accumulated hundreds of likes, thousands of listens (on each song), and a whole lot of reposts. 7981 Kal is hot out here, and is coming up. Make sure not to forget his name when you think about the 617.