ATTN: Anyone with a Soundcloud account. Is music a means to an end, or is the music itself the objective? No disrespect to any artists who treat music as a hustle, but when you do it for yourself, or for your community, and not your play count, it shows.
Matthew Progress is a real one. If you caught the trippy video for “Oxygen” back in December, you’ll know that “I and I” is an expansion of that same sound, building on the ominous energy that seems to come naturally for the Toronto rapper. Spvnman, the beatmaker who also produced “Oxygen,” opts for similar techniques this time around, lifting the bass sky high, and adding an arpeggiated 8-bit synth to give the track a digital aura.
If you’ve ever sacrificed material growth for your passion, or your vision, you’ll connect with what Progress is putting down. “All I wanna do is make art, make, money, n*gga do a little damage.”
“‘I And I’ is an anthem for starving artists,” Matthew Progress told Complex via email. “It’s a soundtrack for those trying to figure out how to think freely, innovate, and make a living for themselves all at once."
When you do it for the love, the rest seems to fall into place. Listen to “I and I” by Matthew Progress below.
