Hip-hop has evolved a lot since its earliest transmissions, but in the past ten years, it’s come into a new creative era that no one could have seen coming. At the forefront of this new chapter in the history books we find a generation of indie players that aren’t particularly interested in what the status quo thinks about their ambitions; among them, a rapper named Cliz who has been turning out some of the more intriguing listens you’ll hear in his scene over the past few years. His latest single, titled “Find Myself,” is proof that modern hip-hop is about the substance of songcraft as much as it is a storyteller and the poetic license of their narrative, and to me, it’s one of his best releases yet.
The beat here is supremely experimental, flexing muscle in the style of a trap number while steering clear of the indulgent frills so many of the subgenre’s most provocative talent have been plagued with lately. It’s almost as though Cliz is looking to reimagine the cloud sound so many of his peers have been operating off of but with a distinctly crisp approach to percussive presence. The bass is buried by the vocal to such a point that we don’t ever experience its tonality without hearing the drum element toppling everything except Cliz himself. It’s abrasive and intentionally jarring, which is very refreshing beside the cleaner-cut sounds of an increasingly daft mainstream market.
Cosmetics aside, I really love the grit of the lyrical delivery and would even say it’s reason enough to pick up “Find Myself” this month. Cliz has a very relaxed attitude when it comes to being urgent with his words, and although he spits a ton of verses at us with adrenaline behind his every utterance in this track, he never sounds like he’s rushing or forcing a point. He’s too skillful with his lyrics to get sloppy, and without having to lean on the features provided by recording software he still finds a way of creating a seamlessness in this mix that is near-live quality. That’s half the battle for producers and artists across the spectrum, let alone in a genre as competitive and brimming with talented individuals and crews the same as hip-hop is.
APPLE MUSIC: https://music.apple.com/us/album/find-myself-single/1550818940
If you appreciate rap’s technical players and the craft they cultivate when left to really develop at their own pace, Cliz and his new single/video combo “Find Myself” are solid picks in 2021. “Find Myself” doesn’t lack in virtuosic vocal technique, but I would also say it isn’t completely defined by the throttling punch of its leading man, either. There’s discipline in the bones of this composition and, more importantly, a dedicated approach from Cliz that tells me he’s more invested in his music than a lot of the other hyped rappers coming out of the woodwork this season have been. We’ll see what he’s able to continue doing over the next few years, but right now, I think he’s one of the more important artists worth keeping an eye on in the American underground.
Jodi Marxbury