In dangling the opportunities coveted by its previous winner – a record deal and an upcoming debut album, the press release for last year’s Hennessy Vs Class rap freestyle competition offered itself as the golden sling to shoot its next victorious participant closer to his/her dreams and some form of ubiquity.
Well, last year’s winner Vader the Wildcard isn’t attracting awkward, wide-eyed stares nor signing nude body parts just yet. He is yet to even acquire a big budget record deal for a debut album.
Effectively conjuring the illusion of fame and affluence is easy, especially in a genre like rap where braggadocio on steroids is a way of life. For Vader the Wildcard, winning a quite popular competition could act as smoke and mirrors for a song obsessed with red-blooded boasts. Instead, his latest song “Not Famous” is brutally antithetical, a humanizing exposition of his current situation.
Everything about “Not Famous” is contrived to fit its introspective candor. Subtly switching between vibey and light grooved, skittering trap hi-hats, airy keys, local percussions, intermittent digital horns and muted bass make up Nano’s mellow production. Alternating between singing and rapping, Vader tags in with ease, like a surfer riding a gentle wave, delivering his truths and painting scenarios with every measured line. From queuing up for BRTs, to haggling at the market to get a fair and cheap price, to struggling with getting ladies in his bed with Wizkid’s ease etc., Vader’s life isn’t a fountain of Hennessy.
Even some of the self aimed banter is witty (“5’7” extra difficult to stand out”) and savage (“why should I be talking about haters?/ nobody cares about Vader”). Vader pegs his ego down a couple of sizes on “Not Famous,” sticking a pin in the balloon of fame that built up in his head post-Vs Class win.
At that, no resentment is attached to Vader’s voice. In fact, it’s visible that he seems to relish his position, trusting the process of the longer route his music career is taking. On its accompanying music video, there’s a striking earnestness in depicting Vader’s anon life. The camera follows him into a crowded marketplace where no one bats an eye at the sight of the winner of some internet competition, and he gets the “not you, your friend” treatment by a lady in a standout scene.
“Not Famous” is a solid piece of reality rap, and it succeeds because of Vader’s expanding range as an artist and music maker. The intuition behind is writing is only getting better, and his concession to improve the adaptability of his voice also highlights the amount of potential Vader embodies.
There’s marked difference between being good at rapping and making good rap songs. Winning a rap competition is already proof that Vader is a bloodhound behind the mic, but setting his sights on making good rap songs by improving his artistry is a great sign for the future.
In itself, “Not Famous” vaguely projects Vader’s rise to the top, which shouldn’t be far, if you ask me. And when he makes a song about his fame, Vader won’t need to ask for RTs before he drops it; he’d have arrived by then.
Purchase “Not Famous” on Selar here.