This Radiant Collaboration From Some Of Dallas’ Quickly Rising Indie Hip-Hop Artists Is Serving Up A Tall Glass Of Summertime.
Welcome to Song of the Day, where we hip you to all the new local releases you should be caring about. By highlighting one new North Texas-sprung tune every week day, our hope is that you’ll find something new to love about the rich and abundant DFW music scene five days a week.
Chroma & A-Wall feat. Pretty Boy Aaron – “Lemonade”
RIYL: Something certified fresh.
What Else You Should Know: A group of some of the most exciting young talent in North Texas joined forces for a super-collaboration of Dallas indie hip-hop, and it’s a banger.
“Lemonade” opens with its chorus of “Don’t make me waste my time/For some lemonade baby/For some lemonade,” from indie collective Chroma’s Bleu Santana and is punctuated with a reflexive “Ahh.” And while that might seem a little too on-the-nose, it matches the bright, upbeat track quite deliciously.
The first verse from A-Wall, who you have likely heard before on one of my weekly playlists, begins with a cherubic tone floating into a brief flow of “Sorry sweetie I ain’t mean it/Got withdrawals, I been fiendin’/I just need another day/So I could taste that lemonade.” This is directly chased by a verse from Pretty Boy Aaron, whose distinctly deep albeit affable vocal style glides quite nicely in contrast to the otherwise glossy, well-produced track — a testament to the beaming chemistry brewing among this crew.
When you think the song can’t be elevated any further, Chroma member Kalid Abdul takes it to the bridge with a full, pitch-shifted verse entirely in Spanish. Abdul’s delivery comes across as almost innocent and lovesick, but is nothing short of a brilliant closing.
Often on a stacked collaboration like this does one person steal the show, leaving you fast-forwarding to their verse nearly every time. “Lemonade” never tilts into such lopsided territory, though. The song feels decidedly fresh and maybe even a little campy — perfect for sending the summer off right.