10.31.2022

CEO Trayle Continues His Halloween Mixtape Series with the Immersive and Hard-Hitting HH5

Trayle Delivers a Villainous Message in the Video For Opening Track “Sincerely Yours“

Home to Recent Singles like “Chokehold” and “I Love You But…,” Featured on OVO Sound Radio, Plus Production From Heavy Hitters Like Dun Deal, OG Parker, Go Grizzly, Trauma Tone, and More, HH5 is Available Everywhere via Do What You Love/10K Projects

Critical Praise:

“The most unnerving villainous laugh you’ll hear this week won’t be in the new Batman movie—it’s in the opening seconds of CEO Trayle’s “Rendezvous.” The way Trayle uses his shapeshifting flow to rattle off threats brings to mind the more sinister side of Chief Keef.” – Pitchfork

“So many rappers stay in one gear for an entire song, but Trayle’s music constantly shifts the rhythm, keeping your ears perked so you don’t get lost as he speeds up. He goes from biting punched-in threats and making singsong taunts to an ominous, slithery flow that leaves you looking behind your shoulder to make sure he isn’t talking about kicking in your backdoor.” – Pitchfork

“The hunger in his rapping turns every song into a boxing ring to prove himself victorious.” – The FADER

“Atlanta’s CEO Trayle is going hard in 2022. The rapper’s earned quite the reputation in the rap game over the past few years. Projects like the Happy Halloween series have cemented him as the one to look out for. “ – HotNewHipHop

“On his recent single, “OK Cool,” Trayle takes a conversational approach, making it clear that—no matter what anyone else in his life is on—he’s still up.” – Audiomack

The Announcement:

Haunting the streets of Atlanta like a slasher movie villain, CEO Trayle excels at making bangers about things that go bump in the night. Returning with a batch of eerily atmospheric and silky smooth rap tunes, Trayle shares HH5, the latest in his signature series of Happy Halloween mixtapes. The new effort establishes Trayle as one of the slickest talkers in a stacked ATL scene, twirling his soft-spoken and erudite delivery like a cartoon villain twirls his mustache.

Creeping over instrumentals like Freddy Kreuger slips through subconsciouses, Trayle juxtaposes his sly wit with moments of pathos, toeing the line expertly on tape highlights like “We So Young” and “Took Some Time.” HH5 features some of Trayle’s most expansive production to date, with contributions from Dun Deal, OG Parker, Go Grizzly, Trauma Tone, and Trayle’s frequent collaborator Stribb, among many others. Home to standout singles like last week’s ultra-wavy “Chokehold” and the complicated relationship anthem “I Love You But…,” recently featured on Drake’s OVO Sound Radio, HH5 is available everywhere via Do What You Love/10K Projects.

Along with the tape, Trayle shares the new video for “Sincerely Yours,” the HH5 intro. Produced by Atlanta mainstay Yung Icey, “Sincerely Yours” rides a lumbering bassline, accented by unsettling woodwinds and ethereal synths that add to the horror movie atmosphere. The song is an ideal opener for the album, as Trayle eschews hooks in an unbroken verse, cutting a demonic figure as he asserts himself as the scariest of all things that go bump in the night: “Mop up blood and chop off legs and shins/Arms and fingers and hands,” Trayle rhymes with a macabre grin. In the video, Trayle follows in the footsteps of the titular anti-hero from Showtime serial killer drama Dexter, as he dons a plastic suit and gets to chopping. Directed by Decat, the new video is a perfect introduction to the macabre world of HH5.

HH5 is the crowning achievement in a busy year for CEO Trayle, arriving weeks after Vier, a four-track EP released in July alongside a Q&A with The FADER. Vier followed in the wake of Trayle’s 8-song mixtape The Collection, home to highlights like “Of Course,” the tape’s closing track. Trayle recently made a splash with his From The Block freestyle, where he performed his song “Song Cry,” which racked up over 300k views in less than one week.

CEO Trayle is following in the footsteps of his hero Gucci Mane, crafting street raps that are at once down-and-dirty and refined. The 28-year-old artist’s music found an audience, and earned praise among publications like Pitchfork, Audiomack, and many more, for his gritty bars and sinister steez. Trayle’s trajectory skyrocketed after he released “Ok Cool,” a viral hit that generated over 60 million streams and earned a remix from Gunna.

With HH5 in the books much further to rise, CEO Trayle is primed to take over the rap game.

Stream HH5: https://ceotrayle.lnk.to/HH5

Watch “Sincerely Yours”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adbU-O_D6UQ

HH5 tracklist:

Sincerely Yours
I Love You But…
Mathematician
We So Young
Nightmares & Dreams ft. FastMoney Ant
Tired Of Me
Chokehold
Spare Me
Alter Ego
Craxk Flow
Unusual
Closed Captioning
Pass It On
Chain Smoking
Swim
Red Rum
What You Know
Took Some Time

Please contact Michelle, Kevin, or Chris or more info.

The Background:

CEO Trayle has a rare sense of vision. The prolific Atlanta-based rapper and CEO/founder of 1080 Trademark Records sees the music industry the way a great point guard does a basketball court. He understands cause-and-effect, knowing how dropping one frosty, minimalist single will shape the perception around his next project. But occasionally he exceeds even his own expectations. His breakout single, “OK Cool,” a deadpan rebuke to an ex, earned more than 60 million streams, even though Trayle didn’t foresee it as a blockbuster when he made it. The momentum from that track, and its Gunna-assisted remix, paved the way for The Collection, a thrilling, visceral release that showcases the 28-year-old MC’s multi-genre fluency.