Straight out of Flint, Michigan, rapper and artist Zerk shakes the very foundation of modern rap, making fine use of sharp lyricism and breathless bars, for the insanely fast-paced and gripping Kingdom.
Emerging complete with a pristinely-captured set of visuals, Kingdom features the simple cinematic power of a heavy drum-line and subtle synths and voices, a somewhat minimalist yet effective backdrop to the relentless vocal outpouring that makes up the bulk of the track.
Instantly compelling, Kingdom grabs attention from the outset and refuses to falter throughout five minutes of expression and music. Zerk has always impressed, but there’s undoubtedly a whole new level reached with the skill and devotion of this release. The bars are clever, smart, sharp-witted, yet they’re also consistently relevant to a specific story, and that’s what draws you in more closely as things evolve.
Engaging on first listen but naturally a single that begs for you to revisit it, for those intricacies and reveals hidden amidst the sheer pace and presence of the delivery, Kingdom promises a fierce performance, and is musically creative to match. There’s even a humble yet memorable hook resolve – a soulful instance of calm in between verses, to reinforce the emotion, and gift listeners a moment to catch their breath.
A huge track, in short, and a defiant testament to a lyricist and artist worth paying attention to right now.
Look out for the debut album Dark Therapy in the coming months. Check out Zerk on Apple, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & his Website.
