Today’s featured record will take more than our usual article length to dissect it because well… it’s worth it! With a surprisingly intricate visual, deeply impactful lyrics, and radio-friendly post-production, Clone is a sensationally beautiful record that will make hip hop heads remember Levi Deadman’s name and face. The thoughtfully constructed narrative makes for a superior quality product that not only feeds your ears but your eyes and brain too. Speaking of, this is what Levi Deadman had to say on his newest release in exclusivity for Blue Rhymez Entertainment: “I’m tired of seeing rainbow hair and face tatted rappers blow up with a subpar product. Meanwhile, true lyricists and wordsmiths are left unheard of. So for Clone I kept my bars and lyrical component on the verses and merged them with catchy hooks. In a sense, a clone of what’s popular but still retaining who I am. A lyricist in mainstream clothing, a wolf in sheep’s clothing, a Trojan horse approaching.”
Before we dive into the record, let’s analyze the visuals because the music video for Clone was carefully angled to direct the audience’s attention to the core meaning of the song. The first person you see is that one femme fatale with enormous roses on her head. She is quite a sight to behold. Then right after, we get Levi Deadman in his comfort zone! In the very cemetery. What about that engraved number though? “That’s my prison number on the coffin. I did 3 years for having defended my wife from being attacked.” 😮 As for the coffin, you see, the man built it with his own hands: “I dug the grave myself, built the coffin, and now repurposed the coffin as a throne for a rap battle I just had.” For this level of commitment alone, you deserve a round of applause Levi Deadman! And peep the second half video imagery, when he’s dressed like a monk and talks to himself in the grave. Goosebumps!
The song dives straight into the 2 part subdivided hook: “They locked me in a padded room/ Straight jacket for my attitude/ Oxys for my latitude/ A proper form of gratitude/ Never seen a badder dude/ Don’t want me to get mad at you/ I only seen struggle” Clone is already off to an exceedingly appealing earworm. Levi Deadman did not lie about it! “Up creeks without a paddle too/ Body full of battle wounds/ Internal organs overused/ I think I’m f*cking overdue/ But still I can’t get over you/ 100 like my whiskey proof/ Hip hop I f*cking love you” – sings the artist the other half of the chorus. So far, the listener is enjoying the spell of a tranquil introduction. The autotuned vocals are not overly done and still keep a firm grip on the rapper’s natural voice. Big up!
The first verse touches on lyrical superiority but from a surprisingly friendly manner: “Hard to find like a rapper with talent/ That’s standin’ his ground/ And still holding it down” The flow feels like an ongoing loop of rhymes featuring Levi’s crystal clear pronunciation. He goes on to speak about resurgence, “Already died and still I can not lose”, then valiantly delves in calling out weak-minded characters, “All of you bend as soon as you sway/ Afraid to offend a sensitive state/ Now let me explain.”
The bridge is where Levi Deadman makes it clear where his name is from: pain. “Glock 40 aimed at your knees/ Surely pain is all you know/ […]/ C4 through your windowpane/ ‘Cause pain is all I know” Notice the Fetty Wap style of keeping everything melodic but the verses. We love this approach. More rap artists should adopt it. Especially upcoming artists. Y’all wouldn’t be drowning in anonymity!
The second verse recounts a Spartan-like training: “I was raised to get lost on the woods/ Find your way back home or you slept in the woods/ And you learned all the same” demonstrating Levi Deadman’s historical timeline to his past. It’s curious how the artist leaves the audience hanging and never clarifies whether this barbaric “education” was mental or physical. He then goes out with a bang: “I’m ripping through gears/ And running you over with lifted up rovers/ 16 at your shoulders/ Could blow off your ears.”
Levi Deadman’s Clone is an assortment of curt rhymes, delicate music, savage but self-aware narrative topped with a touch of vulnerability. Extra points for the modern production style, and more specifically that sort of mumble singing on the hook that has become the staple industry by now. This is a smart artist who’s built for success.
Song Credits: Levi Fuchs(Levi Deadman); Levi Nichols (loonarboay) – Recording, Mixing, Mastering Engineer; Wendigo – Music Producer; Jose Najar (Najar Media) – Video Director.
Make sure you support this creative genius by adding Clone to your playlists on Amazon HERE, on Apple Music HERE, on Deezer HERE, and on Spotify below:
Written by Mariana Berdianu
Blue Rhymez Entertainment ©2021
1 comment