Don’t sleep on this EP from SaVon. He’s a 22 year old rapper from Charlotte, NC. I think the most obvious influence is Isaiah Rashad, but there’s also some Kendrick Lamar in there. He also named J. Cole as another influence. To me, the production and overall aesthetic reminds me a lot of Isaiah Rashad, but I feel like SaVon raps more aggressively than him. I mean, it’s not like he’s yelling every bar like Nolan the Ninja used to do. When I say he raps more aggressively, I’m talking more about his flow than his delivery. Anyway, this EP was released on January 19th this year. There’s not a single track on it that I don’t like. The production is that smooth, soulful shit that Isaiah & Cole rap over a lot. The first track, Slave to a Wage, kinda reminded me of Kendrick Lamar’s FEAR. too. I’m not familiar with the guy who produced it, Franky M, but he did a hell of a job. That beat is awesome. I guess that’s a trumpet in the background. It’s some sort of woodwind instrument. I’m not good at identifying instruments. Whatever it is sounds really good though. SaVon is a really good rapper too.

I feel like the white man behind me
I feel like the white man be trying me
I be probably pounding they daughters
White man said he wanna raise my pay by two quarters
White man made me believe that the pay was important
White man a menace who don’t believe in the job

He killed the first song. He killed every song on this project though. The second track, Bodies in the Hallway, is definitely one of my favorites. This dude fucking spazzed on this track. Especially that last verse. That song is crazy. Honestly, I couldn’t believe how good this dude was the first time I heard it. Someone who raps like this should not be as obscure as he is. He fucking snapped on that track. If you only listen to one song from this project, make sure it’s Bodies in the Hallway. That shit is amazing. The third track, Protégé, is one of the smoother tracks on the project. The beat is really chill. Again, it sounds a lot like something Isaiah Rashad would spit over. The song is pretty much him rapping directly to his car. It’s a really cool track.

A low down dirty shame how your engine cut off
Couldn’t even get you to that bitch crib to get a nut off
But you held me down in lows and shit, that count for something
‘Member A/C had stopped working on hottest summers
Now I’m working hard like pornstars to upgrade your insides
Speakers don’t work, bring the headphones in the ride

It’s not like it’s a super original, really unique concept track. It’s just a really well executed dedication to his car. It’s a dope song. I can’t really say I have any issues with it. It really doesn’t sound like an amateur indie artist. This dude sounds like he’s been rapping for a long time. He sounds like he’d fit right in with Dreamville or even Top Dawg Entertainment. It’d be cool if he signed to Jamla, but I feel like they haven’t really been promoting their artists as well as they used to. In fact, the official Jamla Records Twitter account hasn’t even tweeted since April of last year. People definitely need to pay attention to this dude though. He’s talented as hell. In fact, I don’t really think I have a significant gripe with this project as a whole. Actually, you know what? He should sign with Mello Music Group. He would fit in great there. The fourth track, Sometimes, has an instrumental that I could see Saba rapping over. The song is fucking awesome. The whole song is just one verse, but it’s so well done.

That’s my attitude
Fuck gratitude
I’d rather you keep it G
At least have the decency to never fucking speak to me

I have zero gripes with it. It’s one of my favorite tracks on the EP for sure. The beat on Rap Wizard sounds kinda familiar, but I don’t know exactly where I’ve heard it before. I think it reminds me of certain aspects of the beat from 9 by Drake. Once again, SaVon rapped his ass off on this track. The dude is such a good rapper. I just can’t believe such an obscure artist is this good. It’s frustrating. This dude should be a lot bigger than he is.

Money to be made, I’m still learning how to get mine
Point A to point B, but I’m still tryna get to my destination with zip-lines
See, I’m different; detonation upon my opponents
Constellation not the only thing above my opponents

The first verse is great, and I love the sample they flipped for the hook. It sounds really good. I honestly don’t know how I’m gonna choose a favorite track because he fucking spazzed on that second verse. The song is amazing. The 6th track has a pretty nice soulful, sample based beat. The hook is super simplistic, but it’s cool. It’s not really an actual hook. It’s pretty much just a short break between the verses. He killed that second verse too. It’s another really great track. It’s not super amazing to me or anything, but I don’t have any issues with it. It’s dope. The final track has kind of a 9th Wonder-ish beat. It’s really good. I feel like the production in general sounds like it has a lot of 9th Wonder influence. The first verse is really fantastic, and the sung hook is really smooth. This track sounds less like Isaiah Rashad and more like Kendrick Lamar. It’s another really dope song though. Anyway, overall, this is honestly probably the best EP I’ve heard all year. It’s on par with Phonte’s Pacific Time. It really just depends on what mood I’m in, and whether I’d rather hear R&B or Hip Hop. I think this project is amazing. It’s way better than most of the big budget commercial releases I’ve heard this year. There’s not a single track I didn’t like. The dude is a super talented rapper, and I can’t wait to see what he does in the future. It’d be cool to see him work with other NC artists, like that $wank guy I just wrote about last week. People seriously need to stop sleeping on this dude because this project is dope af. I love it.

Favorite Song: Bodies in the Hallway
Least Favorite Song: Love Is Blue

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