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Homeboy Sandman Brings Heat — ‘Keep That Same Energy’ Single Review
The first single for the upcoming ‘There In Spirit’ record recently dropped — and it’s great.
Upon first seeing the title of this track, and being unfamiliar with the work of rapper Homeboy Sandman before hearing this song, the first thing that came to mind was the repeated ‘Keep that same energy’ delivered by Ty Dolla $ign on Kanye West’s Wouldn’t Leave in 2018. What makes that more amusing is that in the midst of this track, a methodically delivered low-key rap delivered to a bassy instrumental, Sandman also says ‘Yikes’, naming another track from Kanye’s same album.
Random Kanye West obsessions aside, my introduction to the world of Homeboy Sandman was a fascinating one. The track opens by allowing the listener to have a moment adjusting to the instrumental — a low-key opening with Ka-esque Eastern flutes and a more subtle drumbeat than most rap would dare to use at the moment.
The daring nature of this track, introduced by Detroit producer Illingsworth, is then carried forth by the cold delivery from Sandman, who has previously worked with producers Aesop Rock and Quelle Chris, evidently entrenching himself within the world of underground hip-hop for quite some time and doing very well for himself. The primary theme of this track is Sandman asking his listeners to ‘keep that…