Video: Caleborate – “4 Willem”

The Berkeley Rapper Shares the Mass Appeal-premiered Video From His Acclaimed Album Real Person, Released in October

11.29.2017

Critical Praise

“Caleborate delivers his rhymes with the confidence of a vet” – Complex

“…one of the most promising spitters coming out right now” – XXL

“a mix of personal songwriting and quick wit” – The FADER

“lyrical mastermind” – East Bay Express

“Caleb has proven himself to a MC in the purest form, eschewing the flashy brag raps for a centered focus on precise wordplay and introspective storytelling paired with some of the best production that the Bay can offer.” – EARMILK

“Caleb comes across like someone who’s honest with himself and everyone around him” – Uproxx

“[Caleborate] displays the poise and wisdom of a rap veteran” – HipHopDX

“One to watch in 2016.” – Pigeons & Planes

“The Easy Bay’s next Rap Titan” – KQEL (NPR San Francisco)

The Video:

With buoyant charm and the storytelling skill of a veteran, Berkeley’s Caleborate raps to give the listener a compelling and accurate picture of his life. Baring his soul over a twinkling, minor-key instrumental, Caleborate holds close to the important things in his life on “4 Willem,” his latest video. Standing strong under the weight of his bills, his career, and his experiences, Caleborate opens up about his life on the single, recounting his struggles to follow his dream while completing college and mourning a close friend lost to gun violence last year. The end of the video uses cinema trickery to personify Caleborate’s inner dialogue, as he literally has an argument with himself. Filmed on location during a recent visit to New York, Caleborate hides in plain sight in the “4 Willem” music video, ruminating on street corners and rooftops as the world passes him by. Premiered by Mass Appeal, “4 Willem,” currently sitting on Spotify’s Alternative Hip-Hop playlist, is the latest music video from Real Person, Caleborate’s latest album.

Explains Caleborate, “The ‘Willem’ in the track title refers to the song’s producer – the way we met is crazy. I’ve never met him in person, even though we’ve been making music since 2012. We met through Facebook when he sent me a random message. I dedicated the song to him because we didn’t work on my 1993 project. So I when I heard this beat, I knew I wanted to put it on the album and I dedicated it to him. The second verse is near and dear to me. It’s about my boy Darian, a childhood friend I grew up playing basketball with. He was murdered last year at a party in Sacramento. When he passed away, it was a wake up call–It made me appreciate the people in my life more.”

The follow-up to 2016’s autobiographical 1993, which Earmilk called “the album for your 20s,” Real Person represents the next chapter in Caleborate’s transition from underdog to top dog. Packed with soul-sampled beats that evoke the sonic palette of College Dropout-era Kanye West, the project finds the burgeoning 24-year-old confronting his relationships, his career goals, the current presidential administration, and his struggle breaking through to the mainstream despite his superlative talent. The album boasts highlights such as “Bankrobber,” which deals with Caleb’s upbringing and his relationship with his father, “Wanna Be,” a lush rumination on Caleb’s numerous responsibilities, and the politically-charged “Down,” which in part focuses on the negativity of the Trump presidency. The album also features the hit anti-sellout anthem “Soul,” which garnered more than 1,000,000 plays on Spotify, featured on Ebro Darden’s Beats 1 radio show, and earned a spot on Spotify’s Most Necessary playlist. Featuring production from Ian McKee, Lege Kale, Chonchies, Drew Banga, and Willem Ardui, and guest appearances from 1-O.A.K. and Donte Thomas, Real Person is an accomplished and mature effort, bursting with pathos and brimming with head-nodding instrumentals.

Watch “4 Willem”: http://i.caleborate.io/4WillemPRtoYT

Buy Real Person: http://i.caleborate.io/RealPersonPR-ZuvATa

Check out the Mass Appeal premiere: https://massappeal.com/caleborate-4-willem-music-video-premiere/

Please contact Michelle or Isabel for more info.

The Background:

A Berkeley bred student of hip-hop and all around eclectic artist, Caleborate has been renowned as one of the games most promising emcees. With lyrics that represent the unique struggles of the average 20-something, and stanza’s about the day to day grind as a collegiate youth, he covers topics far and wide and is anything but shallow. After being awarded the “Best Hip Hop Album of The Bay Area” in 2015 by SF Weekly, Caleborate is poised to sit cross-legged atop the hip-hop genre someday.