Mixtape: Well$ – The Way I’m Living Makes My Mom Nervous
After Two Years Away From the Scene, Pigeons & Planes Premieres the Mature New Mixtape From the Rising Charlotte Emcee
10.21.2016
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$.” – Huffington Post
“Catching the frenetic electronic beat effortlessly, Well$ proved that he has talent that deserves to go well beyond a local stage.” – Noisey
The Mixtape:
A critically acclaimed young rapper with an aggressive flow, a unique lyrical voice, and an energetic live show, Well$ is ready to take the next step. Today, Pigeons & Planes premieres The Way I’m Living Makes My Mom Nervous, the sonically adventurous new mixtape from the Immaculate Taste artist. Born in Charlotte, North Carolina to a Congolese immigrant parents, TWILMMMN is a story of the 21-year-old emcee’s maturation, as he grapples with navigating street life while battling the expectations of his family, as well as an impressive representation of the diversity and talent of North Carolina’s music scene. After releasing MTSYD: Revenge of the African Booty Scratcher at only 19-years of age, Well$ took a break from the scene in order to grow into his own as a person and an artist. The Way I’m Living Makes My Mom Nervous is the result of two years of soul-searching and reflection as Well$ reconciles his young and reckless self with the adult he will have to be in the future. On TWILMMMN, Well$ explores how his American attitudes and pursuit of his artistic career clash with his parents’ belief that he needs to pursue a more traditional path and a formal education. With appearances from North Carolina artists such as Sylvan Esso, Deniro Ferrar, Angelo Mota, JK The Ripper, Doms, Alec Lomami, and Sipho the Gift, along with varied production from Metro Boomin, Angelo Mota, Sipho the Gift, Jimmy Kelso and others, TWILMMMN proves that there is no style that Well$ can’t tackle.
Explains Well$: “With MTSYD: The Revenge of the African Booty Scratcher, I was speaking from the perspective of an African kid living as an American. Now, with The Way I’m Living Makes My Mom Nervous, I’m speaking about how my American upbringing clashes with my African values. The way it makes my mom nervous because I chose the opposite path that they had wanted for me. My parents came to America to escape a tyrannical regime. For them, pursuing formal education and a career is the only way a person can make something out of themselves; unless you’re a doctor or a lawyer, you ain’t shit. But I left the house when I was 17 without finishing high school and on bad terms. I chose the path of entrepreneurship. I want to be self-made, to pursue my dreams and do something that I actually love. To keep it 100, I didn’t always make the right choices to achieve it and that’s a lot to worry about for my family. Also I wanted to showcase the talent we have in NC and on Immaculate Taste. On my previous projects I didn’t use a bunch of features but for this project, instead of talking about how dope NC and Immaculate Taste are, I wanted to show people. So just like on MTSYD, I got Alec Lomami to executive produce the project but outside of Metro Boomin’ all the beats and features on The Way I’m Living Makes My Mom Nervous are from either North Carolina or Immaculate Taste artists and producers.”
The tape’s eclecticism and versatility is readily apparent from the project’s previously released singles. Well$ attacks Future-istic trap on the Metro Boomin-produced “Heaven’s Door,” whichBillboard premiered in February, a Cash Money-influenced stomp on the Deniro Ferrar-featuring “’98 Juvie,” and a minimalist Southern-rap snap on “130,” which boasts two versions of a quality music video. Not content with solely rhyming over traditional Hip-Hop styles and instrumentals, Well$ experiments with electronic music in “Young Man,” his FADER-premiered collaboration with Durham electro-folk duo Sylvan Esso. The musical diversity of these tracks is matched by Well$’ vocal and lyrical prowess, applying his trademark growl and clever wordplay to each song. The follow-up to 2014’s MTSYD: Revenge of the African Booty Scratcher, The Way I’m Living Makes My Mom Nervous is now available to purchase on iTunes and stream on Spotify.
Buy The Way I’m Living Makes My Mom Nervous: https://itun.es/us/cwiyfb
Stream The Way I’m Living Makes My Mom Nervous: http://open.spotify.com/album/66S2DkLxUaWaWuuhcyCCoj
Check out the Pigeons & Planes Premiere: http://pigeonsandplanes.com/music/2016/10/wells-the-way-im-living-makes-my-mom-nervous-stream
Watch a short trailer for the album: https://youtu.be/s5MtwbNhdYg
Please contact Michelle or Dharmic for more info.
Well$ 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. Well$ released his The Way I’m Living Makes My Mom Nervous project on October 21, 2016.
Links:
bandcamp | twitter | facebook | youtube | soundcloud | spotify
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
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/