This year, rapper Dusten Truce showed us there was another to make your voice heard. He put out his cerebral EP 23 To Life, and teamed up with Jamal Swiss to put on the insanely successful five date Young Kulture tour, that had a steady roster of the some of the brightest musical talent in the country and proved that if properly organized smaller, more intimate concert tours by emerging artists can gain serious traction. Done with the tour and sated with the respect of his peers, Dusten Truce doesn’t really have anything to prove. Which is why his new surprise joint “The Recession” feels a little like he’s flexing on us.

Stumbled on this in my library, might as well wipe the dust off and share with you guys.
The Recession https://t.co/6EbjsvxS41

— D-Truce (@Dusten_Truce) October 16, 2017

Featuring two other rappers Lex, Czukwudiii (Lex also produces), The Recession, references the ambient pop influenced hip-hop sounds that rappers like Lupe Fiasco helped bring to the mainstream, employing staccato snares and synth heavy, minor chord fuelled electronic harmonies to conjure the tonal sensation of a languid spiral into despair. All three rappers have vastly diverse styles and approaches to world building and while Truce is the most accomplished, Lex and Czukwudiii more than hold their own as they weave a familiar theme of young people caught in that mid point between fame and obscurity and weighing their options in a world where the stacks seem weighed against them.

However, in the light of the recent rape and sexual harassment scandals in Hollywood, Lex and Czukwudiii’s insistence on using metaphors that glorify rape culture and sexual harassment are hard to glaze over. It is somewhat tone deaf that in a song that introspectively dissects the expectations that young artists are burdened with, the same artists employ language and metaphors that have been used to oppress other minorities But that is the only criticism of what is a near perfect rapper showcase.

Listen to “The Recession” here.

Edwin eats his rice and cabbages. Tweet at him@edgothboy

Listen to Dusten Truce go social justice warrior on Pablo dieziani 1.0