On his new single Floatin‘, Pomona’s own Overlord Gruff is able to craft a hard-hitting track that calls back both to gangster rap as well as the dirtiest bars of performers like Freddie Gibbs and Surve. The production of Floatin‘ is another solid piece of the puzzle, going back to the mid-1990s California scene and the mid-oughts Atlanta sound. Add just a dash of Organize Minds-styled ethereal synths at the back of the song and one has an effort that will stand up to repeat plays. Overlord Gruff’s vocals come forth with a confident and crisp sound, with each line falling from his mouth coming through crystal clear. It’s a small thing, but part of telling a tale as robust as the one laid bare in Floatin‘ requires that listeners are able to hear each and every action OG discusses in depth.
The production of Overlord Gruff’s latest cut, by Paradigm305, rises and swells to provide ample highlighting to OG’s bars. A solid pace ensures that a coherent story is told throughout this single. Repetition of the titular phrase tattoos the single deep into the minds and hearts of listeners.
Floatin‘ will be released on June 12th on numerous digital service providers. The song represents a nice counterpoint to another of the rapper’s 2020 releases, Black Superman (which featured Maddmovin Da Loc). Where Black Superman is a bit quicker of a track, Floatin‘ shows a performer that is calm and collected in every endeavor he wishes to avail himself in. Check out Overlord Gruff’s social media profiles for additional information about the performer as well as samples of his music.
We sat down with Overlord Gruff in 2016 and reviewed his release from that year, Lord Have Mercy.
Rating: 8.6/10
Overlord Gruff – “Floatin” / 2020 Guano Records / 3:55 / https://www.reverbnation.com/overlordgruff / https://soundcloud.com/overlord-gruff / https://twitter.com/overlordgruff
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