“You Feelin It Shawty” by President Hill

Using limited synthetics and a layered mix that could put just about anyone’s hips in motion, President Hill lays down what could be the next big club jam in his new single “You Feelin It Shawty” like he was born to be in the studio. Although there’s a lot of emphasis on his vocal more than the instrumentation, “You Feelin It Shawty” is bound by its bassline and easy-swinging grooves, the latter of which is pushed along primarily through President Hill’s linguistic delivery.

He’s got a lot of confidence as he comes into these verses, and while he’s not yet a household name in the hip-hop game, he plays like he is from one line to the next – and gets away with packing more swagger than he’s earned thus far. Part of getting big in rap or any other genre of music means trying things that no one else is willing to experiment with, and from the moment he hits the ground running in this track forward, I get the idea that we’re listening to someone unafraid of pushing the envelope with his lyrics or music. He’s got moxie crammed into a simplistic structure here, and his attitude alone makes this a premium listen in my book. 

There’s definitely a lot of tension on the backend of the mix, but I think this was important to draw as much attention towards the cadence of the verses as possible. If there’s one thing this player knows how to do better than most anyone in his scene at the moment, it’s cut up a lyric with the kind of ease that normally comes only from having a couple of decades’ worth of experience in this game.

President Hill’s vocal is always the great uniting element in this piece, pushing together the melodic and percussive ornamentation rather than simply sticking out from the arrangement as a poetic point of expression, which by itself is something more experimental than the status quo calls for. The fluidity of this beat is a real crusher but were it not adorned with the smoky-voiced rapping that President Hill is offering up at the microphone, there’s no telling whether or not we could appreciate it as much as we can here. 

Tone is everything in hip-hop and then some, and President Hill does a terrific job setting a smart one in “You Feelin It Shawty.” He knows how to get loose and have a good time, but when it comes down to it this is one of the more acerbic players you’re going to hear coming out of an underground channel before the year has concluded. “You Feelin It Shawty” has stylistic elements that are just begging to be better exploited in a live performance, and with a little luck, we might just get the opportunity to hear these beats played in concert soon. President Hill is ready for that next level, and were he not I don’t believe he would be bringing it as hard as he does in this single. 

Michael Rand

The music of President Hill has been heard all over the world in partnership with the radio plugging services offered by Musik and Film Radio Promotions Division.  Learn more https://musikandfilm.com