Anytime you see 9th Wonder trending on social media you know there’s something good in the offing.
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On IG the other night there was post after post about a 9th production for a relative unknown artist, OG Trillian, featuring his Conglomerate labelmate Prayah.
With DJ Khaled being the hypebeast that he is, you’ve got to take anything he’s psyched about with a grain of salt. But this joint here? Sheesh…
https://www.instagram.com/p/B1xee4VhYpE/
Turns out Trillian isn’t some just any up and comer, he’s the seed of rap royalty, Busta Rhymes, and if Hear Ya Say is any indication, the bloodline is strong. Busta also took to IG that night with the type of unabashed pride and support for his son that would get the Lavar Ball seal of approval.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B1wnjGxDMJt/
9th Wonder was in his bag more than a tweaker trying to pull off a 5 finger discount at Wal Mart on this track. While he’s never been the type to go with the super obvious sample, and is traditionally more hands with his beats than your usual loop digger, what he accomplished with Dawn Penn’s dancehall reggae classic No, No, No is beautiful in it’s simplicity. It’s almost hard to believe it’s him because it’s such a departure from what we’re used to hearing from him. But if you’ve been paying attention to his work with his label’s flagship artist Rapsody and Kendrick Lamar over the past few years, it’s apparent he’s been stepping out of his normal comfort zone and showing more tricks up his sleeve.
Hear Ya Say sees him chopping and rearranging Penn’s track rather than engaging in typical sample flipping, and that’s exactly what makes it a banger. The intro of the original source serves as the main body of the beat with the unmistakable No, No, No chorus used to punctuate certain parts of the emcees’ verses.
Unlike a lot of his young peers, Busta’s son actually has a voice that sounds good on the mic, which is key in an era when it’s as if motherfuckers are out here trying to sound wack on purpose. At first listen, he sounds eerily similar to Mos Def on the chorus, but in a good way. Trillian’s not trying to be a carbon copy of his dad, or sound anything like him at all. He’s confident, commanding, and at this point he seems content just plain rapping with a cocky NY flair.
If and when this Flipmode-affiliated project comes out let’s hope it’s worthy of the name. Only time will tell but in the meantime 9th and Trillian have gotten them off to a damn good start.
