Manny King John
What happens when I need?
An opening line for the ages. Antoine Bishop begins ‘Stormy’ with an open-ended question that, combined with the 1:22 timestamp, lets listeners know he did not come to play. ‘Stormy’, 2020 single, has all the elements of a classic Hip-Hop Boom-Bap record. As soon as it starts, it triggers thoughts of the MCs on the corner that made Hip-Hop what it is today.
Quick and poignant political commentary, thought-provoking rhetorical questions, and complicated rhyme structures that Bishop makes sound incredibly simple — all in under a minute and a half. ‘Stormy’ brings up recalls of Earl Sweatshirt and Bishop’s fellow newcomer MAVI, from the beat to the delivery of his lyrics. “What happens when I leave? Why we at it like, why you at it like, fuck me?” The JAY-Z influences are also loud and clear, and Bishop controls the track akin to a young Mr Carter on ‘Kingdom Come’. I have no problem putting Bishop in conversation with names like Earl and Hov because listeners can tell he is a student of the game and of the culture and that his pen is dangerous.
‘Stormy’ is the epitome of “the shortest songs are always the best ones.” ‘Stormy’ will send any fan of Hip-Hop running to Bishop’s SoundCloud or website. Thankfully, he’s got big plans for 2020, anticipating an album in the coming months. With a voice, skill level, and flow beyond his years, look out for him to blow in this new decade. Listen to ‘Stormy’ below.
Dang, beautifully written song AND article. The brevity of the song caught me off guard while I was listening, and combined with the closing line being “what happens when I leave?”, it made me think the length of the song and the way it suddenly dropped off without a conclusion were implemented as a reminder of how short life is. This is the kind of content we need in Hip-Hop!
Can’t wait for the album.