Vernon, BC-born, Vancouver-based MC/singer SonReal is very much a man of his time. Even ten years ago, Son would have struggled to find an audience for his laidback, introspective songs about the sort of small struggles that make up our daily lives. Now, in the post-Drake/post-J. Cole era, the thoughtful, rapping everyman has become its own hip-hop archetype. What differentiates SonReal from the rest of his subgenre, however, is how well it's executed. On new mixtape Good News, which is really an album, SonReal proves that he's a diverse MC. He displays his talent for wordplay and punch lines on "We Concur," proves that he can tell stories with the best of them on "Up Up Up" and writes a pop radio-ready hook on "Alright Okay." He also isn't afraid to tackle a variety of subject matter. Son is equally comfortable playing the braggart on "I Feel Like" or writing heartfelt rap ballads like "Fly Away." As a singer, he may not be R&B star calibre, but his whiskey-soaked rasp is more than enough to carry songs like "I Don't Give a Shit" and "Jerk." SonReal is, in turns, sensitive, cocky and funny, and he writes his own hooks. He has all the qualifications for the job of rapper-as-pop star. If major labels aren't falling all over themselves to sign him in the next few months, it's proof that they're asleep at the switch.
Read an interview with SonReal here.
(Goodlife)Read an interview with SonReal here.
