Song Premiere: Koncept & J57 feat. Co$$, Tenacity, Johaz, Blame One, El Prez, Realm Reality, Mike Maven – “When I Get There”

When we interviewed Koncept and J57 last month, they informed us of their journey out to Red Bull Studios in LA and the profound effect that this journey had on their music-making process. We believed them, of course, but nothing backs up a good story like solid evidence. Today we’re premiering “When I Get There,” the first piece of concrete corroboration of their story. Teaming up with Co$$, Johaz, Tenacity, Blame One, El Prez, Realm Reality and Mike Maven for a bi-coastal posse cut, Koncept and J57 get gritty, combining sharp rhymes with riveting percussion and a wailing chorus. The appeal of the song is that despite having several vocalist, it doesn’t feel crowded. Each verse has breathing room, enabling everyone to perform without the song becoming a droning litany. DJ Khaled should take note.

The verses are cut short and the lyrics feel pointed, but this isn’t minimalism. While J57 lets those crashing cymbals take the lead, they’re accompanied by revved-engine-like synths and some subtly ambulating sound effects that disperse the force of the cymbals’ crashes, sometime interacting with the vocals and other times just ebbing away; that isn’t minimalism. “When I Get There” won’t appear on Koncept and J57‘s forthcoming album, Flight, but it’s a good indicator of where they’re headed. Listen below.

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