MP3 & News: Symba Announces Tracklisting For 2 More Words & Unleashes “We Ready” Via HotNewHipHop
Sophomore Album, Which Features Iamsu!, Young Gully, Marc E. Bassy, And More Will Be Released On September 4th
09.02.2015
Critical Praise:
“[Symba’s] bars are delivered with an undeniable honesty” – DJBooth
The Song & News:
Bay Area-bred, LA-based rapper Symba, who can also sing, will be releasing his sophomore album, 2 More Words this Friday, September 4th. The album, which features Iamsu!, Marc E. Bassy, Young Gully, and more, is an honest, street-anthem filled album with production that leans from post-hyphy mob music like on “How You Rockin” to dramatic, key-swirling songs like on “Welcome to Fame” to the radio-friendly sound of “AFMN” to the big, sweeping, texture-charged song “We Ready,” which HotNewHipHop premiered.
“‘We Ready’ creeps along steadily, as some sampled and heavily filtered vocals play throughout, serving as a contrasting earworm to Symba’s hard rhymes. That is, until the rapper busts out some melodies himself, proving himself as a strong singer and hook-writer,” posted HNHH of the latest single. Adds Symba, “‘We Ready’ is a hustler’s anthem. It’s basically saying we ready to take on whatever is in our way, to get to where we wanna be, we don’t care what it is: We ready for it.”
“I’m from a place where local success means more than life itself,” explains Symba. “You know what it means to feel neglected? You count on yourself because you ain’t got nobody else to count on. That’s when you become allergic to being dependent. Allergic to favors. Allergic to hand-outs.” 2 More Words is the culmination of years of being in the independent rap game in the Bay Area and after learning some hard lessons, Symba is ready to forge ahead alone, relying on his own resources and skills. 2 More Words is aggressive, confident, reflective, and anchored.
The artwork for 2 More Words features cassette tapes of Symba’s favorite albums, stored in an old Adidas shoebox.
2 More Words tracklisting:
- (2 More Words) Intro
- In Too Deep
- How You Rockin’ feat Iamsu!
- Wait a Minute feat YMTK
- Ah Yeah feat Young Gully and Hwood Keefy
- Stuck in My Ways feat Marc E. Bassy
- Welcome To Fame
- No Way Around It
- Money Over Fame
- AFMN feat Neglected Kings
- Fall Back
- Speaking From My Heart feat Big Klef
- We Ready
Mixed by Aubrey “Big Juice” Delaine for JuiceBox Ent
Mastered by Mark B. Christensen
Listen to “We Ready”: https://soundcloud.com/therealsymba/we-ready
Check out the HNHH premiere: http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/symba-we-ready-new-song.1966057.html
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/221370244″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]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 clientsâ money. Symba and his family went from having money to burn to losing everything and getting by day-by-day. âIt humbled me,â he says. âLife 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 didnât care about peopleâs emotions, peopleâs feelings. It made me understand that everything that comes with money — it really ainât shit.â
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. âWhat I want people to realize is that they should never let someone tell them they canât do something,â he says. âNever put yourself down because of your current state of life. Never let your future go. In the life we live today, itâs damn near impossible to believe in yourself. But no matter whatâs hitting you in life, never lose sight of the bigger picture. Because thatâs what youâre living for at the end of the day.â Thatâs 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
“We Ready”: https://soundcloud.com/therealsymba/we-ready
“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:Â https://soundcloud.com/therealsymba/classic-man-freestyle
“R.I.C.O.” Freestyle:Â https://soundcloud.com/therealsymba/rico-freestyle