The Ones: Mozzy’s “Pricetag” [ft. Polo G & Lil Poppa]
With artists releasing songs at a fast and furious pace it’s difficult for the average hip-hop head to keep track of it all—no matter how tapped in they are. That’s why we created The Ones, a daily post to highlight the song you need to hear curated by the Levels team. We sort through all the new songs—across all the platforms and subgenres—so you don’t have to. Thank us later.
Mozzy - “Pricetag” [ft. Polo G & Lil Poppa]
Sacramento rapper Mozzy, Chicago crooner Polo G, and Jacksonville scamp Lil Poppa come off as a motley crew of shit starters. In solo outings, Mozzy raps cynically about instigating violence, G justifies his threats by describing the losses he has sustained, and Poppa excels at putting on a bold face amid hardship. On “Pricetag,” the first single from Mozzy’s upcoming album Beyond Bulletproof, the collective issues a bounty-delivering warning. A subtle portrayal of shot calling, the track makes going on the offensive sound easy.
Even when faced with Mozzy’s astounding bluntness and Lil Poppa’s rascal charms, Polo G stands out as the leader of the pack. He rides one rhyme scheme the entire verse, and his singsong raps steadily tunnel through waves of plucky guitar riffs and pounding bass. His bleak past has left him permanently on standby even as his success mounts. “Ready for whatever, I won’t hesitate to bang mine/I went through the struggle, but I made it through that pain fine/Now it’s all smiles, I swear we spent so many days crying/Remember selling crack, weed, and pills at the same time,” he raps. Bookended by rappers willing to fire first, the Chicago rapper’s unyielding hook makes even an aggressor like Mozzy seem passive. On “Pricetag,” the three agitators find power in their mastery.
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Originally Appeared on Pitchfork
