MP3: Well$ – “Youth in Revolt Pt. 2” (feat. King Mez)
Following His MTSYD: The Revenge of the African Booty Scratcher Mixtape, the 19-Year-Old Rapper Debuts a Loose Single via Complex
08.11.2014
Critical praise for Well$:
“The album finds the 19-year-old straddling the line between trunk-rattling southern bounce and the witty 16s of any Freshman spitter.” – The Fader
“…a startling peephole into something deeply personal within Well$.” – Pitchfork
“Well$ uses inspiration from his own heritage as well as popular American culture to develop a sound that is distinctly his own, drawing on southern influences as well as his own African culture.” – Complex
“Charlotte, N.C., may not be the first city to come to mind when thinking of hip hop hotbeds, but thanks to a rising echelon of talent, that’s about to change. Leading that charge is 19-year-old Leroy Shingu, who goes by the name of Well$.” – Huffington Post
The Song:
Last month, 19-year-old Charlotte, N.C. rapper Well$ joined CyHi The Prynce on his “Mandela Remix.” Today, Well$ unleashes his a single of his own, “Youth In Revolt 2,” premiering via Complex and featuring fellow North Carolina rapper King Mez, and co-produced by Mez and South African producer Sipho the Gift. With an opening and closing sample of Martin Luther King’s Nobel Prize for Peace acceptance speech, Mez raps on the chorus, “you are who you think you are, I feel like Luther, voices of a generation start a revolution.” With a rather unorthodox song structure, the rappers trade bars on both the chorus and verses, as the second verse starts with 8 bars from Well$, followed by 6 from Mez, and a closing 2 from Well$. The two rappers originally linked up after the release of Well$ viral video for “Savoire-Faire.” “He’s one of my mentors in a way, just showing me the do’s and don’t’s, and whenever I have a question he just helps me find a solution,” says Well$ on his relationship with King Mez.
“Youth In Revolt 2” is a followup to a loose single Well$ released in early 2013 titled “Youth In Revolt,” and it’s the rapper’s first release since his critically-acclaimed MTSYD: The Revenge of the African Booty Scratcher mixtape, which was released via The Fader in May. “Youth in Revolt 1 was more about the aspiration of not wanting to be oppressed, while Youth in Revolt 2 is on the basis that despite all of these hardships and obstacles thrown at the youth, look what we have accomplished,” explains Well$.
Born in Charlotte to Congolese illegal immigrants, Well$ used to get made fun of for being African, which is what led to the Boyz n The Hood reference in his most recent mixtape’s title, MTSYD: Revenge of the African Booty Scratcher. “Watching that kid get made fun of made me think of my childhood and how bad I wanna shit on people from back then, even musically it transferred over,” says Well$ about the title of his mixtape. In the title track for the album he raps “These African-Americans making fun of they roots, like where the fuck do you think you come from?” MTSYD touches on other social issues, such as gun violence (in the haunting “Lil Tommy”) and the dark side to the strip club (“Black Swan” and “Major Paine.”) However, the mixtape is balanced with upbeat tracks such as “Savoire-Faire” and “Django,” both of which have garnered significant internet buzz with their accompanying music videos. The release included production from Ryan Hemsworth and DJ Dahi, in addition to a feature from Pac Div’s Mibbs. Pitchfork reviewed the MTSYD, calling it “a startling peephole into something deeply personal within Well$.”
Hopscotch Music Festival recently announced Well$ as a feature artist for their forthcoming event in Raleigh, NC.
Read the Complex premiere: http://www.complex.com/music/2014/08/wells-youth-in-revolt-2-king-mez-premiere
“Youth In Revolt Pt. 2” ft. King Mez: https://soundcloud.com/immaculate-taste/youth-in-revolt-pt-2-feat-king-mez/
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Well$ Background:
Like most kids in his native town of Charlotte, North Carolina, Leroy Shingu had a head filled with hip-hop dreams growing up, even trying his hand at freestyling when he was all of nine years old. But a trying background starkly different from the blissful suburban reality of his peers would compel the rapper better known as Well$ to turn that childhood fantasy into a promising career as a rapper. Quietly released in 2012, $ay La V, Well$’ debut EP rose steadily on the Bandcamp charts to peak at number 5 and eventually become the most downloaded album in the Charlotte area. This remarkable ascent as well as the video for the song “State of Ecstasy The Interlude Part 1″ hauled Well$ out of virtual anonymity, and shoved him onto high profile stage performances with artists such as G Eazy, Chris Webby, Johnny Polygon, and one of his idols, Pac Div. His most recent project, MTSYD: Revenge of the African Booty Scratcher was well-recieved by fans and critics alike.
Links:
bandcamp | twitter | facebook | youtube | soundcloud
“Youth In Revolt Pt. 2” ft. King Mez: https://soundcloud.com/immaculate-taste/youth-in-revolt-pt-2-feat-king-mez/
“Mandela” (Remix): https://soundcloud.com/1cyhitheprynce/mandela-remixfeaturing-reason-well
“Major Paine (Daddy’s Little Girl): https://soundcloud.com/wells-music/major-paine-daddys-little-girl-prod-austin-celaya-the-blck-herts-club
“Savoir-Faire”: http://youtu.be/bVVggr8eheY
“Lil’ Tommy”: https://soundcloud.com/wells-music/lil-tommy/
“Black Swan”: https://soundcloud.com/wells-music/black-swan
“State of Ecstasy Pt. 1”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smsGIANkDfA
Download link for MTSYD: Revenge of the African Booty Scratcher: http://www.audiomack.com/album/well/mtsyd-the-revenge-of-the-african-booty-scratcher
Bio, pics, and more here: http://www.audibletreats.com/wells/