Single: Well$ – “Day Ones” (Prod. by KOMODO)
Pigeons & Planes Premieres the Charlotte-Based Emcee’s Latest Single, a Cut from All Kings Get Their Heads Chopped Off, Coming June 8th
6.5.2017
Critical praise for Well$:
“The album finds the 19-year-old straddling the line between trunk-rattling southern bounce and the witty 16s of any Freshman spitter.” – The Fader
“A charismatic live performer…the hometown hero is ready to shine whenever the national look is imminent. – Pitchfork
“Well$ 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$.” – Huffington Post
The Song:
With an gruff, authoritative, and weathered rasp, Charlotte rapper Well$ crafts fierce and honest rap songs about his life as a hard-living young man and as a child of Congolese immigrants. Saluting his friends who have supported him from the beginning, Well$ dances around swirling synth arpeggios on “Day Ones,” his latest single. The rapper employs a rock solid cadence as he aggressively barks about lessons from his childhood: “7th Grade, had a concept down of paying rent/Cause daddy broke/ain’t like ain’t nobody know/snotty-nosed n*gga still plottin’ on your bottom hoe/all I had was my words.” Produced by KOMODO, “Day Ones” is a distorted, eerie banger with a propulsion that echoes the Immacule Taste artist’s drive for success as portrayed in the verses. Premiered by Pigeons & Planes, “Day Ones” is the latest single from Well$’ project All Kings Get Their Heads Chopped Off, arriving this Thursday.
The third major project from the acclaimed North Carolina emcee, All Kings Get Their Heads Chopped Off follows last year’s The Way I’m Living Makes My Mom Nervous, a deeply personal effort about the immigrant experience in America that doubled as a showcase for the the underrepresented North Carolina arts community. TWILMMMN was a suitable follow-up to his previous mixtape, MTSYD: The Revenge of the African Booty Scratcher, which earned Well$ praise from Pitchfork and led to a performance at 2016’s Moogfest, which NOISEY listed as one of the “Seven Sets At Moogfest That Expanded Our Consciousness into New Realms.” Well$ has kept busy in 2017 with a steady stream of singles, including his appearance on Baloji’s afrobeat/hip-hop hybrid “Unité & Litre,” alongside his cousin and labelmate Alec Lomami and acclaimed artist Saul Williams, and the luxurious Pigeons & Planes-premiered relationship drama “Rosé,” AKGTHCO releases on all digital distributors on June 8th.
Listen to “Day Ones”: https://open.spotify.com/album/5hZT64nZxQUzVPScNFOnMJ
Check out the P&P premiere: http://pigeonsandplanes.com/music/2017/06/wells-day-ones
Please contact Michelle or Dharmic for more info.
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 2014 project, MTSYD: Revenge of the African Booty Scratcher was well-received by fans and critics alike and he followed it up with the equally accomplished The Way I’m Living Makes My Mom Nervous in 2016. His next project, All Kings Get Their Heads Chopped Off, arrives June 8th.
Links:
bandcamp | twitter | facebook | youtube | soundcloud
“Day Ones”: https://open.spotify.com/album/5hZT64nZxQUzVPScNFOnMJ
“Rosé”: https://soundcloud.com/immaculate-taste/rose // https://open.spotify.com/album/6ThOx9CNh1BCnqPwEKvlGT
Baloji – “Unité & LibreRemix” ft. Well$ & Alec Lomami & Saul Williams: https://soundcloud.com/bella-union/baloji-unite-litre-feat-saul-williams
Watch “XXX”: https://youtu.be/bPKoRAWEFqI
“Us vs. The World” (Remix): https://soundcloud.com/immaculate-taste/us-vs-the-world-ft-angelo-mota-bankroll-bird-remix/s-stC6N
The Way I’m Living Makes My Mom Nervous: https://itun.es/us/cwiyfb // http://open.spotify.com/album/66S2DkLxUaWaWuuhcyCCoj
“A Sad Dance Song” ft. Lucho: https://soundcloud.com/immaculate-taste/a-sad-dance-song-1
“Young Man” ft. Sylvan Esso: https://soundcloud.com/immaculate-taste/well-young-man-ft-sylvan-esso-prod-by-jimmy-kelso-nick-sanborn
“’98 Juvie” ft. Deniro Farrar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4sJKPBGxLk
“130” (Official Version): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YneUXoS3NZk
“130” (one-take version): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXpk1BwnFew
“Heaven’s Door” ft. Alec Lomami (Prod. by Metro Boomin): https://soundcloud.com/immaculate-taste/well-heavens-door-ft-alec-lomami-prod-by-metroboomin
Weekend Money – “Break Spinal” ft. Kool AD: https://soundcloud.com/weekendmoney/weekend-money-break-spinal-feat-well-kool-ad/s-HijDG
“TwoBrothers”: https://soundcloud.com/immaculate-taste/well-twobrothers
“Fight”: https://soundcloud.com/immaculate-taste/fight-prod-pgmw
“Stella 95”: https://soundcloud.com/immaculate-taste/well-stella-95-feat-lucho-prod-pgmw-thefacesblur
“’98 Juvie”: https://soundcloud.com/immaculate-taste/well-98-juvie-prod-sipho-the-gift
“Black Swan”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CFn5fFeCpw / https://soundcloud.com/wells-music/black-swan
“An Awfully Rude Reintroduction”: https://soundcloud.com/10deep/an-awfully-rude-reintroduction-prod-tutankhamen-brothers-the-blck-herts-club
“Youth In Revolt Pt. 2” ft. King Mez: https://soundcloud.com/immaculate-taste/youth-in-revolt-pt-2-feat-king-mez/
CyHi the Prynce – “Mandela” (Official remix feat. Well$): https://soundcloud.com/1cyhitheprynce/mandela-remixfeaturing-reason-well
“Savoir-Faire”: http://youtu.be/bVVggr8eheY
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/