The BLM movement hit the whole world pretty hard, made some people very uncomfortable, others – pensive of their choices and dialogue, some politicians changed their agendas, and a lot of artists did what their heart told them to: created more music. Today we’re talking about Fresco Trey’s memorable single, Die Young, a page from a young black artist’s mind in these troubling times.
Don’t misinterpret the used adjective ”troubling”. While it does feel pretty grim on a global scale, it actually is a positive change, because never before has racism been exposed and held accountable as in 2020. We are living in times that future generations will learn about in schools. The way these events are going to be iterated though, is not guaranteed to be presented from all parties’ perspective. Luckily, we have something our parents and everyone older didn’t: the internet. We’re creating our own archive as we’re going. And we have music as a big chunk, that acts as a real-life witness, taking part in this global archive.
Fresco Trey is one of the great artists who knows how to welcome the public to his own thought process without being aggressive. In his newest single, Die Young, Fresco shares his mental anguish between being a tough man and letting his vulnerability show: “I don’t wanna die young/ So I ride with a firearm/ I done take so many goddamn L’s/ But a ni**a gotta fight on/ When a ni**a cry/ I don’t cry long/ Roll it up, then I light one/ Even though i’m thuggin’/ ridin’ round getting money /Would you still leave the light on?”
Fresco Trey’s voice is melodical as always while keeping that modern sound and the particularities of a rap production. Amusingly, if one had to strip the voice away, you’d mistake the instrumental for a Pop-R&B medley.
In the music video we get to see Fresco Trey all by himself singing the infectious lyrics and having a one-on-one conversation with the viewer, which sets Die Young apart from his previous releases. This video particularly, has the power of making you feel like you could be best friends with Fresco. No gimmicks, no smoke and mirrors, no dancers, just you and him.
You can feel most acutely the omnipresent fear for one’s life in the following verses: “These stormy nights kinda cloud my brain/ I’m movin different I don’t rhyme the same/ It’s kinda crazy when I sign my name/ Remember jumping fences, dodgin flames/ Cause I don’t wanna die too young/ I don’t wanna die too young” We get a most poetical painting with the dark nights matching the bitter memories of running for one’s life.
Make sure you add Die Young to your playlist on Deezer HERE, on Amazon HERE, and on Spotify below: