We at Audible Treats stand in solidarity with the protesters across the country who seek justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others. As a company, we are developing a concrete plan of action to combat the deleterious effects of systemic racism and police brutality. Currently, our team members are donating to just causes, marching in the streets, speaking out in public and private, and further educating ourselves about America’s racist past and present so that we are better equipped to call out injustice when we recognize it.
We take our role seriously as a conduit for amplifying voices and stories that tend to be ignored by the mainstream media. As for our day-to-day work of publicizing our artists and their stories, we’re working closely with them to find a balance between their need for artistic expression and their solidarity with the protest movement.
There is strength in numbers. Here is a resource that lists ways you can take action: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/
No justice, no peace. Black Lives Matter.
06.15.2020
Lyric Video: Drakeo The Ruler – “GTAIV”
The Unjustly Jailed Rapper Shares a Lyric Video for a Highlight From Thank You For Using GTL, Just Named Best New Album by Pitchfork
Critical Praise:
“8.5, Best New Music…Recorded in jail over a crackly phone line, Drakeo’s mesmerizing album is a remarkable feat: a stark rebuke of the justice system and an unparalleled achievement for a rapper and his producer.” – Pitchfork
“The most urgent rap album of 2020? Drakeo the Ruler just phoned it in from jail.” – Washington Post
“Character building is an important part of rap that doesn’t get talked about enough. Rappers are storytellers and their stories have characters — the strength of their writing and their songs depends on how well they craft these characters. In Drakeo The Ruler’s songs, he’s the only character that really matters: the Maison Margiela-wearing protaganist, mud-walking into Neiman Marcus and flu-flamming through the streets of Los Angeles.” – The FADER
“In the brief span since regaining his freedom, the 24-year-old christened Darrell Caldwell has already recorded and released a 16-song mixtape, Cold Devil, with more than 7.5-million SoundCloud listens, headlined a sold-out show at the Observatory in Orange County and been hailed as the most original West Coast stylist in decades — that is if one can unravel his absurdly singular slanguage, cadences and cosmology.” – L.A. Times
“An ascendent star in his native Los Angeles, whose 2017 album Cold Devil is one of the decade’s most striking rap records” – Vulture
“Drakeo’s music is an exercise in restraint and matter-of-factness. Employing an icy monotone, Drakeo embeds his lyrics with seldom-seen subtext while delivering death threats with an alarming nonchalance and an off-kilter flow.” – XXL
The Video:
Few rappers blur the lines between reality and fiction like Drakeo The Ruler, whose lyrics paint a vivid and cinematic picture of life in the L.A. streets. Giving a stern warning to showboating rappers who think life is just a game, Drakeo shares “GTAIV,” his new lyric video.
A pitch-black West Coast slapper with rattling shakers and ominous electric keys, “GTAIV” slyly weaves in references to the titular video game series, as Drakeo admonishes reckless wannabes who don’t realize that real g’s move in silence. In the second verse, Drakeo flips the perspective, as he quotably offers a lavish account of his boss life. The lyric video borrows the signature font from Grand Theft Auto, offering visions of a Los Angeles (or is it Los Santos?) rendered in the blocky graphics of early editions of the famed video game franchise.
“GTAIV” is a highlight track from Thank You For Using GTL, Drakeo’s new album, recorded over the phone from Men’s Central Jail in Los Angeles. Though the rapper was acquitted of charges last summer after a long and grueling trial, the Los Angeles district attorney’s office took advantage of a hung jury to declare a re-trial, effectively imprisoning Drakeo for crimes for which he was already cleared. Thumbing his nose at the racist system, Drakeo enlisted the assistance of JoogSzn, who recorded and produced all the tracks over 36 hours, over a period of two weeks.
Packed with frequent interjections from exploitive prison communications company Global Tel Link, Thank You For Using GTL proves that the rapper spent his time inside sharpening his pen, biding his time and waiting for the chance to treat the public to the conceptual, witty, and effortlessly fly songs for which he’s known. The album dropped last week to rapturous acclaim, earning a Best New Music designation on Pitchfork for the album and lead single “Backflip Or Sumn,” and inspiring The Washington Post to call it “the most urgent rap album of 2020.”
His first full project of new material since 2017’s Cold Devil, Thank You For Using GTL re-establishes The Ruler as one of rap music’s most innovative stylists. With his signature behind-the-beat and soft-spoken snarl, Drakeo slings his slang, laments the loss of his favorite department stores, and takes aim at snitches and fakes. Featuring appearances from ALLBLACK, Rio Da Young OG, Lil 9, and JoogSzn, who produced the tape’s tracks and contributes a verse, Thank You For Using GTL is available everywhere.
Watch “GTAIV” Lyric Video: https://youtu.be/uMpHAxm4338
Read about Drakeo’s continuing legal struggle in The Guardian, Genius, The FADER, Dazed Digital, and Tablet Mag, and check out Drakeo’s recent interview with Complex
Buy/Stream Thank You For Using GTL: https://empire.ffm.to/thankyouforusinggtl
If you want to send Drakeo a message, use the below address:
Darrell Caldwell
5198096
Terminal Annex
PO Box 86164
Los Angeles, CA 90086-0164
Donate to The Marshall Project, an organization dedicated to exposing and fighting malfeasance in the criminal justice system: https://www.themarshallproject.org/donate
Donate to George Gascon, candidate for L.A. District Attorney and primary opponent of current D.A. Jackie Lacey.
Drakeo The Ruler & JOOGSZN – Thank You For Using GTL tracklist:
- Intro
- Quit Rappin
- Tell You the Truth
- GTAIV
- Backflip or Sumn
- Keep it 100
- R.I.P. Barneys
- Bad Timing
- Social Media Can’t Help You
- Maestro’s Tension
- Fuck the Party Up ft. Rio Da Young OG
- ChalkZone ft. Lil 9
- Pressure
- I Want It All
- It’s A Secret ft. ALLBLACK
- Spousal Abuse
- Ice Chili
- To Be Honest
- Fictional
Please contact Michelle or Erin for more info.
Links:
instagram | soundcloud | twitter | youtube | spotify
“GTAIV”: https://youtu.be/uMpHAxm4338
Thank You For Using GTL: https://empire.ffm.to/thankyouforusinggtl
“Backflip Or Sumn”: https://empire.ffm.to/backfliporsumn / https://youtu.be/toAkIGcNKZk
“Betchua” (Freestyle): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BdmxGyS4ds
Free Drakeo: https://open.spotify.com/album/5uY0270CjyUtlCOvWJlvvO?si=OsskAOsaQj6R5RCYHXYoag
“Ion Rap Beef” (Remix) ft. Earl Sweatshirt & 03 Greedo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WGeofLZAS4
“Out The Slums” (Remix) ft. Danny Brown & 03 Greedo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZyWah6bA5I
“Flu Flamming” (Remix) ft. Lil Yachty & OhGeesy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ClUUVkfZEg