Earlier this week, Atlanta crooner and rapper iLoveMakonnen dropped the introspective I Remember Makonnen freestyle as a celebration of his impending 27th birthday. Now, having commemorated his special day, Makonnen has released a further five new songs alongside a video for Solo, a track taken from his Drink More Water 6 EP.
The video for Solo is pretty hilarious, although I don’t think that’s intentional. Makonnen, shirtless and wearing a cowboy hat, dances amongst a team of horses. I’m not sure how it relates to the song but it had me compelled so it did the job.
Now for the Soundcloud tracks. The Sonny Digital produced Stay With Me Tonight has all the hallmarks of a classic Makonnen track, while Swimming In The Money has dance undertones, Start A New Wave strikes with crips hi-hats, and She Don’t Call No More features Makonnen’s off-kilter flow over another hard beat. Final release Sometimes is produced by Makonnen and finds the October’s Very Own signee in a reflective mood, accompanied the message; “i wanted to share this song with you, wanted to tell you all thank u so much for supporting me and letting me live my dreams. i wanted to take this time to share my last track with u before my 27th birthday. this is for when u have some time for yourself and can think cry rejoice and enjoy. stay strong out there and drink more water always.”
While I can understand Makonnen’s an acquired taste, some of the tracks he’s released are album worthy, and I wonder if- along with celebrating his name day- uploading these tracks for free is another jab at his label. Having signed to Drake‘s OVO since exploding into the mainstream with Tuesday, Makonnen has struggled to keep the momentum flowing, despite a string of top notch projects. Hopefully once Drizzy’s done with Views From The 6 he can concentrate on supporting his labels second most talented individual.
Image: Fader