MP3: Symba ft. Marc E. Bassy – “Stuck In My Ways”
Moving Upwards and Onwards is the Focus of New Single from 2 More Words
08.26.2015
Critical Praise:
“[Symba’s] bars are delivered with an undeniable honesty” – DJBooth
The Song:
Following a strong response to the first leak from his upcoming album 2 More Words, Symba calls on fellow Bay Area artist Marc E. Bassy for his meditative single “Stuck In My Ways,” premiered via DJ Booth. Regretfully admitting he enables leeches to proliferate, Symba vows to stop the cycle and cut them loose. With lyrics such as, “Overdoing favors for those who don’t appreciate it / they burned a bridge, boat sanked, and now they look for me to save ’em,” Symba explains that sometimes the people you love most will take advantage of you. “They know you love them too much to cut them off.”
Serving as a visceral song from the rapper, the track opens with Bassy’s mellow R&B chorus before Symba’s opening verse about how his dreams have interrupted some of his closest friendships and biggest dreams. Produced by No Name Tim, the intimate instrumental is carried by its somber vocal sample and minimalistic drum pattern, making way for Symba’s reflective lyrics. “Stuck In My Ways” is from Symba’s forthcoming 2 More Words, slated for release in early September.
II More Words is Symba’s first project since 2013 EP, Young Nate Nino, which channels Wesley Snipes in the film New Jack City. “Not following your usual Bay Area formula, Symba attacks the microphone with more aggressive tracks instead of the party or club lane” ONSMASH explained in their coverage of the EP. It also serves as the successor to his 2012 album II Words, which served as the rapper’s official introduction to the industry. Earmilk, who published an editorial introducing the rapper using his II Words visual “Winning Pt. 2” wrote, “while the visuals Aquavis Warfield has constructed for Symba’s “Winning Pt. 2″ are compelling, the Berkeley-born rapper has the lyrical aptitude to carry a listener well through the song, even on to the next.” Symba has also released several videos along the way, which have garnered him additional coverage on WorldStarHipHop and The Examiner. II More Words is coming soon.
Listen to “Stuck In My Ways”: https://soundcloud.com/therealsymba/stuck-in-my-ways-feat-marc-e-bassy
Check out the DJBooth premiere: http://djbooth.it/1NGPCXq
Please contact Michelle or Rory if interested in speaking with Symba.
Symba Background:
When he was 18 years old, Bay Area rapper Symba had the world in his back pocket. Not only was he a promising basketball player but he also was well on his way to a promising music career. He lived with his parents in a comfortable suburb in an impressive house with six cars in the garage. Everything, it seemed, was going his way. Then, the bottom caved in. One day, the police yanked him from class, telling him his father made bad investments with his clients’ money. Symba and his family went from having money to burn to losing everything and getting by day-by-day. “It humbled me,” he says. “Life hit me hard, and I had to learn backwards — I had to learn things people usually learn at the beginning of their life. But I was spoiled and I had everything. I didn’t care about people’s emotions, people’s feelings. It made me understand that everything that comes with money — it really ain’t shit.”
Symba poured all of that learning into 2 More Words, a fiery collection of songs that balances club-ready hooks with deft, incisive narratives. He flips styles constantly, going from grinding, insistent rapping to lithe melodic singing. On “In Too Deep,” he begins by pouncing on the beat before gliding into a gorgeous, minor-key chorus. This is Symba’s M.O.: balancing, tough, punching verses with gliding, hook-laden choruses. Above all, it is designed to inspire people going through similar struggles not to give up hope and not to abandon their dreams. “What I want people to realize is that they should never let someone tell them they can’t do something,” he says. “Never put yourself down because of your current state of life. Never let your future go. In the life we live today, it’s damn near impossible to believe in yourself. But no matter what’s hitting you in life, never lose sight of the bigger picture. Because that’s what you’re living for at the end of the day.” That’s the message that turns up on 2 More Words time and again: that no struggle is too great to fight through, and that belief and determination can triumph over any odds.
Links:
official site | twitter | instagram | soundcloud
“Stuck In My Ways”: https://soundcloud.com/therealsymba/stuck-in-my-ways-feat-marc-e-bassy
“How You Rockin”: https://soundcloud.com/therealsymba/how-you-rockin-ft-iamsu
“Classic Man” Freestyle: https://soundcloud.com/therealsymba/classic-man-freestyle
“R.I.C.O.” Freestyle: https://soundcloud.com/therealsymba/rico-freestyle