Liamette Returns with a Dynamic Two-Pack
When I first heard Liamette back in 2017, he embodied exactly what the times demanded: an energetic, shit-talking, callous Soundcloud rapper. However, even back then he refused to give heed to any boxes placed around his music. Ever since Cast Away the Lust, Longest Message Ever, the mixtape that formally introduced the Atlanta scene to him,, it was clear that Liamette’s vocal range and sheer creativity surpassed his Soundcloud contemporaries. Take a listen to “Chimera,”: its chorus could double as the Soundcloud era’s best Mongollian throat singing performance and is an early indicator that Liamette’s artistic reach is apt to expand far beyond his Soundcloud roots.
Fast forward to 2021, and Liamette has blossomed into an avant-garde renaissance man who exudes an array of influence ranging from neo-expressionist painter Jean Basquait to the abhorrent, pioneering punk band The Sex Pistols. Liamette has taught himself the ropes of a variety of artistic mediums other than music, including digital art, poetry, videography, and vocal engineering. While Liamette, birth name Liam Gray, was teaching himself these different mediums, it seems as if he could have been building his name as a rapper around the nation. He has more than an ample amount of connections to do so—pre-pandemic, he was working with MikeWillMadeIt and went on tour with Rae Sremmurd. Instead, he chose intensive introspection and full-fledged artistic development over immediate recognition—a virtuous decision that is paying off. His new “INTERSTELLAR” EP is proof.
The first track of the two-song EP, “ANDROMEDA,” is a shimmering and elegiac testament to Liamette’s self-confidence across the board: “And when you been through what I been through you’ll see what I see / I could change my swag, next day these n****s look just like me.” He boasts about his taste in fashion and asserts not only his artistic ability but also his place in the universe. Produced by Atlanta veterans Hanzo and Grandma, the pair orchestrated a wispy, raindrop-accented atmosphere that allows Liamette’s vocals to sprint, loiter, and weave on top of the beat. This track sounds like a stylish vocal exercise on which Liamette stretches out his voicebox to prepare for the ensuing song, “INTERGALACTIC.”
On “INTERGALACTIC,” Liamette viscously wrings out his three AM thoughts onto MarlinBeat’s pounding, iridescent production. Liamette’s vocal range travels into new horizons on this track, as he conducts vocal acrobatics by shifting his pitch and altering the rasp in his throat virtually every other bar. The chorus indicates that these egregious inflections are not for show: “I WAS ON TWO PLANETS / SHE THOUGHT I WAS TRIPPIN’ I SAID NAW BITCH I’M JUST MANIC.”
Though Liamette’s releases have been few and far between, these two new songs serve as a reminder to the community that his creative palette and precision are ever-expanding. Watching him grow from the stoic Soundcloud rapper that he once was into the elusive multimedia artist that he has become has been a joy, and I can’t wait to see what he does next.
