KF Greatness, 21-year-old rapper from Pine Bluff, Arkansas, continually fuels his music with a relentless drive and hunger of the come up, and it’s no different with Mark of the Beast.
Following the artist for the last few years, I have seen no backing down on his output. He has the formula for success, i.e., determination + discipline + hard work, as well as raw talent and a very natural sound, as if he’s been rapping for dozens of years, and it’s just a matter of time before the opportunity arises and KF Greatness experiences an exponential boom of success.
“Superstar” places his vision of greatness at the front, illustrated clearly in the song’s hook:
“24/7, I’m working hard,
I want to be the next superstar,
niggaz hate me because I’m going far,
these niggaz still trying to up the par”
It acts like a self-affirmation, something every upcoming artist could use, but probably especially much more pertinent when you need to find that self-drive in an environment like Pine Bluff, Arkansas.
The second track, “Can’t Sleep,” discusses the struggle of trying to make it in the game. KF Greatness shines his stream-of-consciousness blended storytelling style in the verse conjuring numerous images of his life along the overtone of a yearning to break through to a level where music fills his entire life, including getting paid for it professionally.
“Stupid,” featuring Shotta Gee, is the third track on the release, adding a different perspective to KF Greatness’ striving to the top, where through a discourse about the mistakes and experiences with women, he lays down, in his honest and down-to-earth way, how music remains as a consistent source of inspiration and progress, and no girl can stand in the way of that. It might not be the main message of the song, but just a few words throws this gem out from within the stream: “I’m not that dude who’s paying tuition, I’m stacking the bread, I’m focused instead, and chasing the blues, avoiding the reds.”
“Bigger Picture” opens up the vision KF Greatness sees of living his dream, where basically music and money match to provide for himself and those dear to him. Another affirmation-style track showing how KF Greatness is keeping his dream alive in his music, and it’s waiting to spark aflame in this way.
“Never Lost,” a hip hop ballad with a catchy rap hook:
“I never lost, I only learn to do better,
I got to capitalize on every single letter,
A different breed, but they label me the same,
The same game, but with me, I’m thinking change”
Once again, KF Greatness makes hunger for success his direct theme—”I gotta make it, I gotta succeed there’s no other options”—showing how he’s giving it his all to rise up the rap ladder to success, and with his history of output to date, it’s clear that we’re discussing a real hunger with real direction. “Different Route” explains the different way of life that targeting rap as a career and lifestyle brings about, and how no matter what the surroundings say about that road, KF Greatness maintains his decision, direction and goal to make it up that route.
“Menace” is a unique lyrical banger, with various layers of repetitive rhythmic motifs running across the vocals and throughout the synth, bass and drum parts of the beat. Shotta Gee, the track’s featured artist, continues the motif that KF Greatness establish from the hook through the verse. “Effort” is an image of the future with a dream partner KF Greatness pictures to himself, fitting into the vision of the future that KF Greatness has been establishing throughout his other output.
“Day Ones Remix,” which features MC Money and Deezy Dee, is my favorite track on the release. A mix of chill and epic, with deep reverberated piano layers filling out a sonic tapestry where each rapper adds a different flavor to the track, precisely in the point in the release where some different taste works perfectly. It also arguably has the catchiest hook on the release, “All of my niggaz, those are my day ones, all of my friends, those are the fake ones.”
“Ambition” closes the release with decisive statement from KF Greatness to the rap world about what he plans to do with it: to take the game. There is a purposeful tenaciousness that rides throughout the song, a strong ending to a release that rounds out KF Greatness toward music, his life and making it to the top of the rap game. The more KF Greatness’ years and releases pile on, and seeing an ever-growing hunger build more intensely within, it’s just a matter of time now before some click happens and KF Greatness’ name takes off throughout the rap world.
Stream KF Greatness – Mark of the Beast: audiomack.com/album/KFGreatness/mark-of-the-beast-1
