"Hard for Me," Brandon Ares' latest release, is produced by Ares himself with the help of Chris Tabron (Beyoncé and Die Antwoord) and engineer Evan Sutton for additional production. Ares blends elements of grunge rock, industrial, R&B, house, and New Orleans rap in much of his music and this song and video are no different.
Although this is a departure from his deep house and techno roots that made me a fan back in 2018 at BUKU Fest, the song and video still highlight how special of an artist Brandon truly is. In 2019 we named Ares as one of the Rappers to Watch. This has been a weird year for all of us, so it's great to see Brandon was in the lab taking his time and cooking up some new sounds.
Brandon has this to say about the song and video:
"We're simultaneously battling toxic masculinity, the politicization of Black bodies, and gender-fluid lives. I want to give voice to a more feminine side, an unconventional love affair with oneself. This is birth, and how many times we can be reborn in one life time is amazing to me."
His upcoming EP Spin the Bend will be self-released via AWAL and is slated for release on Sept. 18. He's also planning to release two additional singles and videos, plus a livestream performance in October.
