Last week, West London pair WSTRN dropped off their brand new full-length, WSTRN Season, Vol. 2, a triumphant return we described as "the perfect follow-up to their 2018 EP, Double 3AK". Like that project and the 2016 debut Season, guest spots were kept to a minimum; the handful of collaborations that did appear were only of the A-list variety, coming from Miraa May, Unknown T and Californian rap group SOB X RBE. And, since they remain a duo (third member Akelle is currently serving time), that left it up to Haile and Louis Rei to shoulder the full weight of the tape.
Guess what? They more than rose to the occasion. While we're still digesting the 16-track set, we caught up with the pair to hear their thoughts on the stories and creative processes behind each and every one of the melody-rich rap/R&B fusions. As much as we music writers like to think we can get the measure of a song or album simply by listening to it, this interview proved that sometimes you have to go straight to the source to really get to the heart of things.
Take it in below and cop or stream the full album on iTunes or Spotify now.
"WSTRN Season [Intro]"
Louis Rei: "Track one is the intro and sets the mood of the tape. It was produced by PRGRSHN & Razor, who produced the majority of the tape, and it's more upbeat than the intro to our last tape DOU3LE 3AK. We wanted to show that this tape represented a transition out of a tough place, to a more triumphant, hopeful future."
"4 Ya"
Haile: "'4 Ya' was made towards the end of the mixtape recording process. It was produced by Jay Weathers and came out of the same session we made 'Medusa' in, and samples 'Me & My Girlfriend' by Tupac."
"My Way"
Louis Rei: "'My Way' is about the sort of women that might not show you much love until you're LIT! But by that point, it's too late—she's missed her chance. It was produced by Nana Rogues, who we've worked with in the past but nothing actually came out, so it was dope to get one in with him."
"Medusa" f/ Unknown T
Haile: "Track four, 'Medusa', speaks for itself. I had the idea of getting Unknown T to put a verse on it, even though he was more known for drill. Not everyone saw the vision at first, but when Unknown linked us at studio and recorded it, we knew it was a cold verse."
"West London" [Skit]
Louis: "We like to make our projects a journey through different genres, and use interludes to break up the tape and transition into different moods. The 'West London' skit is a humorous way of doing that and an homage to skits from classic albums like Dr. Dre's 2001 and Snoop's Doggystyle."
"Lights, Camera, Passion" f/ Miraa May
Louis: "'Lights, Camera, Passion' came from me and the producer J Roc's jumping in a session. It's kinda self-explanatory; it's about making a movie. Miraa May happened to be working in the studio next to door and came through and blessed the riddim. Haile jumped on this one last and sprinkled his magic on it."
"Maggie & Stardawg"
Haile: "'Maggie & Stardawg' is the anthem! It's a way of life. We like to have a good time and those two things can guarantee you have a good time! We recorded it in Jamaica at the beginning of the recording process. Also produced by PRGRSHN & Razor."
"Going Clear" [Skit]
Louis Rei: "Another interlude to take us into the trap section of the mixtape; just setting the tone for the next few tracks and letting them know it's peak when Ak comes home!"
"They Don't Know"
Haile: "'They Don't Know', produced by Razor, was the last song we made for the tape. We had actually finished the whole tape and this was a late entry, but it was too cold to leave off the project."
"Victim"
Louis Rei: "'Victim' is one of the more introspective songs on the project, about people in life that play the victim for selfish reasons and that you can't get one-up on us! Haile recorded this one at his house and sent it to me, and I felt special. The concept was wavey."
"Buss Down"
Haile: "Another Razor banger! This one's about the mandem wanting to see us shine and reap the rewards of our hard work. The wanna see us shining like a buss-down watch, but then: who can we trust?"
"U"
Louis: "This one's for the R&B heads out there. It's actually the first song we started recording for the project out in Jamaican last December. Which is jokes, because the rest of the tape took a different turn in terms of genre, but I feel like it isn't WSTRN without a little R&B joint for the ladies."
"Night & Day"
Haile: "This is the lead single off the tape. We also recorded it in Jamaica and took inspiration from Wayne Wonder's 'No Letting Go'. We wanted to do something different for the video, so we flew to Harlem and shot it in the style of an old-school '90s R&B video. It was a dope experience and we got shown mad love in New York. Make sure you listen out for the bridge! Produced, again, by the magicians PRGSHN & Razor."
"Switch It Up"
Louis Rei: "'Switch It Up' is an uplifting tune about being yourself and enjoying yourself. Haile iced the chorus and I got two verses on there 'cause I had some shit I had to get off my chest that day. This one's produced by P2J."
"Gangland" f/ SOB X R.B.E
Haile: "Louis and Razor started this one and as soon as I heard it, I had to jump on it, but we felt it needed something else. It's got that West Coast feel to it so we reached out to SOB X RBE, who we met at their video shoot in LA a few months ago. We sent it over and they blessed it with that real Bay Area vibe."
"Lemonade"
Louis: "'Lemonade' is the outro to the tape, basically. You know I had to get that heartfelt rap joint off my chest! I recorded this just after Nipsey was killed. That hurt. I've been a fan of Nip for years, and he had just started following me on Instagram which was crazy! I feel like it wraps the tape up nicely and is hopeful of a better future after going through so many trials and tribulations. It also ends with a little message from Akelle, but I'll let you listen to hear what he has to say."
