Jaylan Pryor aka Shxxta is a lead artist with the Tranparenc.Blvvk label. Raised by a hardworking single mom, with two brothers and four sisters (one of his older sisters was tragically killed in a car accident when he was younger), childhood wasn’t easy for the growing artist. Addicted to crack, his father was in and out of jail, while Shxxta grew up on the streets among drug dealers, pimps and hustlers who showed him the ropes of the game. He focused on getting money, dropping out of school and spending more time on the streets. Hanging with a gang of teenagers from the west side of Atlanta, while living on the infamous Bankhead, as well as Mlk he begin breaking into cars, gambling and hitting licks. His passion for music began to grow after a tragic experience left one of his best friend’s dead – a victim of a rival neighborhood gang.
Soon Shxxta began to write about the pain he experienced from disappointment, death, heartbreak, and childhood traumas, while at the same time battling with his inner demons. His newest single, “Somebody” is a gorgeous yet somber and melancholy follow-up to tracks like “Cold World”, “No Wishes” and “Loveless” which come off the compilation entitled.
“Something now to later comes”. Throughout these tracks, the versatile rapper shows tremendous growth as an artist by showcasing exquisite storytelling and an assortment of interesting flows and melodies.
Each of Shxxta’s projects use an entirely different palette of sounds, each painting different pictures of his skillset. His vocals are so saturated in deep sentiment on “Somebody” that it is hard for a listener to not succumb to his torrential emotions.
The artist especially showcases his ability to adapt his flow to any instrumental. In “Cold World” he went in hard with wordplay and a tight flow, while on “No Wishes” used a heavily nuanced delivery. Instead here on “Somebody”, he has flipped the template to an echoing sad-boy melodic delivery.
If you ran through his concise catalog of songs, and were not familiar with the different stylings of Shxxta, it would be easy to think each song was by a different lead artist. His ability to bring a different energy to each song is what keeps Shxxta’s music fresh.
Similar to the more upbeat “Loveless”, “Somebody” is filled with melodic twists and turns that keep listeners on the edge of their seats for the entire time. The production on these tracks also help to tie everything together.
The instrumental on “Somebody”, inspires visions of late nights filled with trepidation and yearning. Its beautiful music, somber but simmering, containing an emotional vivacity. But it’s even more compelling storytelling.
Shxxta holds his heart on his sleeve, writing with an immaculate penmanship. It’s the kind of songwriting that mimics the restless headspace of its author. He makes his experiences tangible for the rest of us through the sheer force of his pen and voice. The feelings are deeply personal to him and are expressed with excellent first-person storytelling on “Somebody”.
“Somebody” shows Shxxta at his most refreshingly honest. He is most potent and affecting when he articulates his deepest inner thoughts, as he does here. The lyricism is simple and straightforward, but the effect is much more profound than your backpack rap. I fully expect for Shxxta to blow up in the upcoming years and I suggest you keep a close watch on him as well.
OFFICIAL LINKS: INSTAGRAM – SOUNDCLOUD – YOUTUBE
