Born in Brooklyn, raised in Nigeria, and now based in New Jersey, Tfemi is Oluwafemi Taiwo. The 22-year old hip-hop artist is making a name for himself after linking up with heavy-hitter producers to start his career.
One such producer is SJrocka, from Toronto, Ontario. The duo have collaborated on a new track titled, “Chris Breezy.” The tune is from Tfemi’s eight song collection “Never Scared to Lose 2.” It uses some interesting instrumentation twists to make for a really cool beat.
I’ve noticed more guitar lately in hip-hop and EDM music. As a guitar player, I’m all for it. However, most of the time the guitar parts are just looped samples of short one or two note riffs. Rarely do you find an actual guitar part, playing a full chord progression and complex arrangement, matched up with a trap beat.
SJrocka has built a beat around some really nice guitar playing that sounds like a real-live musician laying down the track. It reminds me a little of some of Hendrix’s mellow stuff, like some of the “Wind Cries Mary” flashes. The guitar plays over a fat, slow beat powered by a deep kick and nice synth bass sound.
Tfemi raps and sings a stream-of-consciousness tale of the neighborhood, using Chris Brown’s nickname as a launch point. There are a couple of great vocal hooks in the song. I especially like the descending melody of the chorus.
Check out “Chris Breezy” on Spotify, and follow the links below Tfemi and SJrocka.