South Carolina's Zephyr released his debut project, Poor N*gga, in 2016. "Black Bastard" is an emotional, slow-building track off the EP, going drumless for the first minute before introducing a few gradual elements and eventually building to a fully fleshed out, hypnotic instrumental. However, it's Zephyr's gravelly voice that acts as the center of the track. "African male with the path destined for hell / You can tell from his past that this n*gga was born to fail," he raps in the opening couplet. He goes on to speak of his battles with depression, thoughts of suicide, and persevering through hard times. His storytelling is captivating enough that you sometimes miss the technical savvy of his rhymes. On particularly impressive run comes when Zephyr addresses his absent dad: "Don't try to father me / Always constantly bother me/ Never seem to acknowledge me / Always wanted no part of me." The emotional tension in Zephyr's voice builds along with the beat throughout, and once he lets the instrumental ride out for the final bars, you're left with chills.
You can listen to more from Zephyr at his official SoundCloud page. Let us know what you think of him in the comments below.
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