Rolando Sepulveda better known as R3 in the game, born and raised in Edinburg, down south Texas in the Rio Grande Valley. Releasing through his self-owned Damn It Boy Music label, it’s hard to believe that R3 has only been writing and recording since February 2020. He has already reached number 1 on indie radio with the tracks, “Yo Sin Ti” and “Para Mi Gente Latina”. Currently R3 is getting ready to drop his debut album, “Reality” during December 2020, and we grabbed a sneak peek at some of the tracks that will be featured in the new recording.
Redefining the game is what puts R3 on the front line of hip-hop. Within a music genre known for its rapid stylistic changes and the cutthroat business and social environments this artist is steadily carving out his own niche space, as he looks to set himself apart from his contemporaries. It’s apparent that the upcoming album will be an artistic statement meant to draw the proverbial line in the sand. Of who R3 is.
He shows us on the beautifully soulful, “On My Mind” that he can give hip-hop a jazz-like sophistication with his heartfelt yet intelligent, and insightful rhymes, which flow alongside the melodic saxophone motifs, over understated but deftly constructed music production and a killer vocal hook. Here R3 captures the growing indifference one can feel when a once intimate relationship is dissolute.
“Pandemic” has everything explained in its title, as R3 gives us an insightful synopsis of the emotions and experiences many went through during the first outbreak of Covid-19 some months ago. The music is at once ambitious and accessible, as R3 rhymes with considerable immediacy and thoughtfulness.
For all of his verbal dexterity and melodic sensibility, R3 never pulls words out of his ass to simply rhyme. He makes sure they have meaning and context. “Going All Out” sees R3 lay his skills on the line, ably supported by Reeo, a featured rapper also signed to Damn It Boy Music. The track shows the importance of being able to sculpt a tune just the way you want it, without any major label constraints.
Sonically banging and emotionally immediate in its presentation, “Get Your Money” has all the hallmarks of a catchy earworm. The narrative gives us a lesson in hustle and grind of trying to stack papers, the track features a hypnotic chorus hook, which is a specialty of the house, seeing as R3 always has a keen ear for super soulful voices and ear-catching hooks.
R3 adjusts his flow accordingly, and adds layers of meaning into the song. Listen to the words of a great upcoming artist, absorb the wordplay, rewind the references and dissect the meaning behind it all, which is as focused and powerful as anything out right now.
No one can deny that R3 understands how to make good rap and hip-hop music. What makes his new album so good though, is the sheer soulful energy and musical variety with which he was able to infuse these songs.
OFFICIAL LINKS: YOUTUBE – INSTAGRAM @damnitboymusic – FACEBOOK @D I B Music
