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Single Review: Hitpapa “I’ll Be There” (feat. Emtee)

Hitpapa doesn’t just want to make another stock rap single, as many of his rivals seem more than content to do this summer, and that could be why he decided to team with another heavyweight indie player in Emtee for his latest single, “I’ll Be There.” In this song, these two rappers are connecting words with more than just a hook and using every moving part of the mix to get us in rhythm with the music. There’s no simplified element to fall back against for these guys – it’s all grinding, and getting the melodic rewards that come with it.

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I wouldn’t say that they’re pushing too hard, but Hitpapa and Emtee are definitely challenging each other with competing swagger in this song as if to try and run up the minimal tension between them as high as they can before ultimately giving in to the release in the chorus. This hook is just too melodic for any pressure to exist on the backend for long, and it doesn’t take any more than a few seconds into the track for us to appreciate the way the verses are melded into the instrumentation, rather than the other way around (as has been common on this side of the Atlantic for the better part of the last decade).

 

 

There’s a future for both Hitpapa and Emtee in the mainstream hierarchy of hip-hop, and it’s bigger than what frames “I’ll Be There.” This is a good example of their skills and a nice instance of two players using a common talent to try and one-up each other inside of the same single, but there’s a bigger, more ambitious look that this release is only hinting at that I’m going to be patiently waiting to both review and enjoy as a longtime fan of sophisticated rap music.

 

Alisa Garza

 

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