About two years ago, we posted a fantastic EP from Seattle-based hip-hop artist Raz Simone. Since that time, he's been exporting a decent amount of music, but he hasn't quite broken into the limelight just yet. He definitely has the ability to produce a meaningful, poetic sound that he could to use to create a much-needed niche in hip-hop, though, and with "These Words", Raz crafts a low-key, meaningful effort that epitomizes what style we love hearing him embrace. With a foundation of electric piano chords, mellow guitar strums, and a gentle beat, the track is pretty minimal, but even there, the stripped-down instrumental places appropriate emphasis on Raz's passionate vocal preaching. He sings the chorus softly, and in his verses, he sounds more like a professional poet than a run-of-the-mill hip-hop artist—a fact we absolutely love. "These Words" is the eighth song released from Raz's new project, Cognitive Dissonance: Part 2, which will be available for free download on his website January 28.
Raz Simone