By Jose Mujica
January 23, 2021
Seemingly over a few days a legendary collab featuring some of Charlotte’s hottest rappers dropped via Deniro Farrar’s YouTube. Farrar, coming off two albums in 2020, Sole Food and Exhibit Q, released a music video on Friday for a single titled “Wait” featuring an all-star cast of Charlotte artists including Reuben Vincent, Erick Lottary, Well$, Jalen Santoy, Southside Gauxst, HotBoy Shaq, and LittleJohn4k. In the high-energy, three-minute track, the eight artists only have a few bars each to showcase their skills, but their medley of deliveries and diverse styles do well to capture the depth of the city’s talent while also displaying what makes them stand out.
The track was recorded at the Vent Room recording studio in a spur-of-the-moment situation, according to Erick Lottary. Lottary had scheduled a last-minute session at the recording studio owned by Santoy, and was joined by Farrar, Southside Gauxst, and Well$. Reuben Vincent already had a session prior to the recording, so the timing lined up. After a clip from the song session started to gain traction on social media, Farrar quickly realized the opportunity and suggested adding rising Charlotte rappers Hotboy Shaq and Littlejohn 4k to record the next day. The video was shot the same night (in compliance with guidelines, according to the video). Directed by William C. Simmons, the video consists of the entire crew turning up to the booming track produced by Rey Calidad.
Starting off with the explosive chorus that asks the listener to “hold on, wait!” Farrar kicks things off with his distinctively gravelly vocals setting the pace. Reuben Vincent boasts he “pops sh*t like Crisco,” before Southside Gauxst implores the listener to check his street credentials. Lottary rides the beat with an effortlessly intricate flow before LittleJohn4k follows with an energetic bounce. HotBoy Shaq kicks it into high gear yelling, “They throw up the four, I throw up the East / Boy don’t get it confused, cause you know how we live.” Well$ and Jalen Santoy close out the track, each preaching cold-blooded street knowledge.
The chorus is interspersed between each of the artists’ contributing verses making the song reminiscent of a rap cypher. Representing Charlotte to the fullest, “Wait,” definitely sets the tone for hip-hop in the Queen City in 2021.
Listen to “Wait” by Deniro Farrar, Reuben Vincent, Erick Lottary, Well$, Jalen Santoy, Southside Gauxst, HotBoy Shaq, and LittleJohn4k. Music video directed by William C. Simmons.
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