Music Existence Because of Music, We Exist
2023 has been a solid year for emerging rappers, and this spring, yet another fascinating new face is entering the mix in the form of CEO Fully Loaded. Indie rapper/songwriter CEO Fully Loaded is dishing out the melodic goods like nobody’s business in the new single “Round the Corner,” which arrives just in time for a season known for celebrating the sweetest of grooves from inside his scene and beyond. “Round the Corner” is undeniably unique and very much the product of a surreal, alternative hip-hop genre that is evolving before our very ears this year, but I wouldn’t go as far as to say that it blends into a crowd. In all actuality, this track is as unfamiliar as its composer is, but that doesn’t make either of them any less addictive.
Lyrically, “Round the Corner” is as frills-free as we could ask for a modern rap song to be. There’s an enigmatic undertow here for certain, but I wouldn’t say that it makes the song any more multi-interpretive than it already is from a cosmetic standpoint. For CEO Fully Loaded, I think this single was less about flexing his poetic muscles and more about introducing listeners to his virtuosic lead vocal (which was the main element that won me over). He’s working with a melodic machete on his side of the microphone, but the only thing he appears to be interested in cutting down is the hesitation rookie recording artists often bring with them into the recording studio. He’s all swagger in “Round the Corner,” which is partly what makes his such an interesting performance this April.
Despite the vocal’s prominence in the master mix, I don’t think CEO Fully Loaded’s singing steals anything away from the thrust of the beat, and perhaps more importantly, the harmony that wraps around the rhythm here from the get-go. This song’s greatest deception is that it’s minimalistic in sound and shape; if you listen closely, you too will notice just how many working components there are to each of its stylized movements. There’s so much for us to take in with “Round the Corner” that I have to wonder what CEO Fully Loaded could do with a longer composition (this track comes in at a rather modest running time in general). He’s a methodical player for certain, and with the prowess he shows here, people should be getting excited about his future.
I just found out about CEO Fully Loaded through a colleague on the American rap beat, but I’m keeping him and his discography on my radar from here on out. I’d love to hear him experiment with some of the different elements in his artistry more than he already has in “Round the Corner,” but even if he decides to simplify the basic blueprint he’s using in this single, I have a feeling I’m going to like what I hear out of his camp in the future. As I previously mentioned, this has been a great time to be a fan of underground hip-hop, and if you give “Round the Corner” a spin for yourself, I think you’re going to agree with sentiments for sure.
Kim Sullenberger
