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New Music! Tree – Sunday School II: When Church Lets Out

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Last spring, Chicago rapper Tree released Sunday School. Thanks to the hype around the Chicago drill scene, led by Chief Keef and King Louie, Tree’s unique “soultrap” sound was noticed by rap bloggers and taste-makers from across the country, leading to Sunday School being posted on MTV’s top 5 mixtapes of 2012 list.

Now, Tree released the anticipated sequel to the tape.

Part of Tree’s appeal is the rawness and authenticity in his songs. Every rapper says they’re rapping what they live, but with Tree, you believe him. There’s a mundanity, a humility to his lyrics. He’s self-deprecating, but still super confident. “I’m probably not the grandchild that my grandma raised/But I’m something like the son my mama had in mind”

This dichotomy extends to his delivery, his raspy voice invokes pain, but also there’s an exuberance there too. You can feel the joy, the thankfulness, the fun in his voice. Sure, sometimes he’s rapping about really sad stuff, but he’s rapping. He made it through all the struggles in Cabrini Green, and now he’s rapping full-time, and it’s working out.

On “Busters”, Tree takes on the “fuck haters, I don’t owe anyone shit” vibe over a hella solemn Frank Dukes beat,”Kiss my ass/ My realest homies know me, if I got it then you got it, you ain’t even got to ask/ Fuck you too/ Talkin like you hung around and did something special but it benefited you.” Sure, the concept of this song has been done a million times (see Drake’s catalog) but Tree makes it seem fresh and real, and with a stripped down performance, missing his signature ping-pong delayed jacked-up hype track s, the emotion feels very real.

Tree’s production is its own animal. Tree’s innovative use of samples combined with southern style skittering hi-hats and drum sounds, creates a sense of nostalgia even at its most disjointed and artificial sounding.

With the acclaim Tree has garnered over the past year, comes experience and a budget. His flows and beats feel more natural than they ever have. While Sunday School’s most prestigious features were from local talent like Chance the Rapper and GLC, the new tape features Danny Brown and Roc Marciano, and production from Tye Hill and Frank Dukes.

It seems like we’re gonna have to wait indefinitely to get a just OK project from Tree.

-CO



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