Last week Atlanta, Georgia native Reno Shakur surfaced for only the second time of 2021. In July Reno dropped a lone single, “.SLAUGHTER,” but last Wednesday the artist strengthened his case as someone to watch with the release of his debut EP, .UP! For Dayz. This small piece of work is a bigger glimpse into the mind of Reno, and displays much emotion, evolution, and vulnerability.
Aside from the intro, out of the three new tracks my favorite is “.Get By” without a doubt. A simple chord progression on the keys give the track a dream-like aura. When you really sit back and listen, you can hear that this song is about being caught up between human emotions. Deep reflection and eloquence was put into the creation.
Shakur makes massive allusions to high level concepts such as contemplating if human actions have certain spiritual outcomes. He alludes to the fact that hell is already on earth, and friends, peers and people near him are utilizing vices to cope with what they have going on.
He infers that he is going to take his chances and live in the world right now because of the uncertainty of believing in the afterlife. He notes that he is going to take his chances of sinning to cope with his depression. “You really think sinning ‘gon block my blessings?”
Old school boom bap type of bars on this Lofi-influenced production paired with a remarkably memorable chorus is what makes this special to me. Reno’s use of subtle pauses creates this gap between bars that allows for easy articulation. This song is for when you are no longer distracted by the day’s events, and you are in a self-reflective and meditative state.
Reno is on his own mission in life, not distracted by external noise from others. “.Get By” is almost like a comforting reality check, and the perfect edition to any smokers soundtrack playlist of any type.
Stream .UP! For Dayz by Reno Shakur!
