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Image via Kenny Mason and DvDx
5 On It is a feature that looks at five of the best under-the-radar rap findings from the past two weeks, highlighting new or recently discovered artists, or interesting obscurities.
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Image via Kaleb Mitchell
Kaleb Mitchell ft. Sam Stan – “SOS”
Now that Kanye West and Chance the Rapper have opened the doors for gospel and classic soul to enter the vernacular of popular hip-hop (and, not coincidentally, as America moves through tumultuous time), it’ll be interesting to see how both the sonic and spiritual components trickle down into the music of rappers reading and reacting in real time.
For Kanye and Chance, Christianity, more specifically gospel music as an outward expression of Christianity, seems like an anchor—a frame for faith as much as fuel for surviving each day. Each has pulled from gospel’s hopeful core in their own work—the notion that a bright future always lies around the bend, even in the darkest moments. In that way, it’s about catharsis and perseverance more than it is about adherence to a book or God. It’s the spirit, not the word (as evidenced by the cosmic Christianity and kaleidoscopic contradictions of Kanye’s The Life Of Pablo, which is the musical equivalent of a church outfit cobbled together from last night’s club clothes).
New Jersey rapper Kaleb Mitchell’s “SOS” seems cut from the cloth of Kanye and Chance’s current mission. “SOS” combines equal parts self-reflection, self-aggrandizement, and a call for security and guidance from something much larger than any one man. It’s personalized gospel, never preaching, rather searching for purpose and using spiritual music as a root for exorcism and daily salvation.
