yungsasukewiththeblade: “wash.rinse.repeat.” shift the emotive gears

Dillon Johnson a.k.a yungsasukewiththeblade (yung sasuke with the blade) is a 20-year-old hip hop artist from the St. Louis area. He started making music to deal with his own demons and now continues to help others feel as though they are not alone. Self-taught, yungsasukewiththeblade has been recording and mixing in his home studio since he was 17. He is currently in the midst of releasing a 3-song playlist, aptly named “wash.rinse.repeat.” – With each different-flavored track being dropped on diverse dates.

The songs “wash (Prod.Ank3Beatz)” and “rinse (Prod. Drxwn)” are already available for public consumption, while “repeat” will be up next. The young and upcoming rapper draws his inspiration comes from a huge list of artists from all eras, including Frank Sinatra, Otis Redding, Tupac, Notorious B.I.G, Shabba Ranks, Partynextdoor, Drake, Chance The Rapper, XXXTentacion, and more.

The newly released tracks is a bold attempt at panoramic exposition. yungsasukewiththeblade’s musical progression is shown in quick succession as a captivating one. These single projects are related, but still loose, expansive, and individual things – full of room for experimentation, exaggeration and the right kind of groove.

The St. Louis rapper likes to shift the emotive gears throughout his songs. All 3 single releases are remarkable for their sheer range and change of pace – simultaneously wild and bruising on “wash” and “rinse” to euphoric and tender on “repeat”.

Not unlike the rest of his generation, yungsasukewiththeblade’s lyrics are sexually highly strung, with a strong an emphasis on all things hedonistic. Transitioning from one song to the next, in a period of obviously frenzied productivity, yungsasukewiththeblade’s music twists around a dense existential core.

The rapper takes a series of unspeakable truths and channels them into an exceptional trilogy of singles that are as creative and tormented as they are exhilarating. These products of his own personal catharsis are refined and converted into something lush and cinematic for our ears.

There’s a natural interplay between yungsasukewiththeblade’s quick-witted wordplay and rapid-fire flow, and the producer’s beats – a push-pull dynamic enabling the rapper to sprawl freely into the spaces just ahead of him, before snapping back into place.

The song, “repeat”, is a whole different kettle of fish, as it relishes in a slowed down, effects-filled vocal display, and builds its substance more on atmosphere and tension than quick rapped verses.

It’s interesting to note that the individual formal details that shape each song are just as captivating as the accumulative effect they produce. yungsasukewiththeblade applies delicate layers to delicate layers, fluidly assembling all sorts of interesting cadences and rhythms in his songs.

There’s also a certain amount of playfulness and elasticity that marks specific elements of these songs, as the rapper pursues each swirling beat to its climax, without ever straying off course. The St. Louis artist’s strengths as a songwriter, storyteller and rapper are fully evidenced on “wash.rinse.repeat.”

OFFICIAL LINKS: SOUNDCLOUD – INSTAGRAM – TWITTER – FACEBOOK