Atlanta, the home of hip-hop greats like T.I., Gucci Mane and André 3000, remains the budding city of unparalleled talents and quirky sonic idiosyncrasies. Deante’ Hitchcock , a worthy addition to the sprouting list of Atlanta bred artists, releases his debut album BETTER via RCA Records.
He’s gained traction over the years for his Instagram freestyles and EP’s like Just A Sample 2 and So Much For Good Luck but today a full length project surfaces laced in 10 tracks amid features from JID, 6LACK and more.
When asked, “How is BETTER different from your past projects,” he tells Ones To Watch, “I’m a different person than I was when I recorded those other projects so naturally the music just reflects that. I don’t think I purposely tried to go out of who I am today. It’s just a mirror of the changes that I’ve been through since my last offering.”
Lyrically therapeutic records like “Angels” and “I Remember” listen like a morphed reflection of his past and present. Tracks like “I Got Money Now” featuring JID and “How TF” featuring 6LACK echo like two halves of a better whole. As an artist he represents a stunning dichotomy of plucky wordsmith and soulful crusader.
In “I Got Money Now” he keeps it diary-like gritty as he raps, “Went from eatin’ on ramen to gettin’ it poppin’ / Can’t take s*** for granted, you know how we rockin’ / I made it look easy, like Straight Outta Compton /And now I’m on go, ain’t no motherf*****n’ stoppin’ / You see what I saw comin’ up from the bottom / Made me a menace like Dennis, no Rodman.”
However, he softens up a bit in “How TF” rapping, “F*** it, I just need to unwind / You know that I ain’t tryna be the f*****g reason you cryin’ / You know I’m working / Know I got a lot of things on my mind / You know that I wanna be with you 100% of the time.””
Overall, BETTER captures Hitchcock’s growth, maturity, evolution and a willingness to continue to capture his narrative through music.
It’s comprehensible rap music flooded in personal anecdotes , expert craftmanship and flawless production.
Take a listen to his latest album on Tidal for video commentary about each record, here.
THE IKON. 