Surf the internet for just a little bit, and you’ll see an army of music critics telling you that lyricism is dead. While on the mainstream level it has taken a backseat, the art of lyricism in Hip-Hop is far from being on life support. Excusing the obvious studs in the forefront like Griselda, TDE and Dreamville, there is a legion of artists coming up who place a high importance on bars. One of those artists is Bellflower, California native, N01SES, and he proves it on his new album, The Book of David.
Coming in at 41-minutes, The Book of David is therapy in the form of music for the ascending rapper. Dealing with the death of his main collaborator, SWRV, who was instrumental in the creation of this project, N01SES spends most of the time getting off heavy lyrics on tracks like, “Best Friend.” Featuring Trizz, this record finds the young rapper letting the pen bleed, with emotional lines like, “I lost my brother, now I’m gaining all the fruits of the world,” and “I been searching for a different vibe to vent, but when I try, I only feel this music sh*t.”
Other standout tracks on the project include, “Hands Up,” the groovy, Beto Sparks III assisted banger, “Magical,” the project’s resident record for the women and, “The Book of David.” Named after the album, this song finds N01SES holding no emotions back. Starting the record off with the words, “I been drinking, I been smoking, I been getting high watching time fly by/I’m happy I’m alive, but I need much more. Looking at the world, I don’t see much more,” he set the tone for the rest of the song, which digs even deeper into his psyche.
Serving as the second release of a planned trilogy, Memoirs was the first, it’s only a matter of time before the powers that be start to take notice. Check out his music above and get familiar with the Bellflower emcee.
