Cejay Rich returns this month with perhaps his most emotionally loaded, hard-hitting piece yet. Up & Leave drives with a gathering of voices, a performance soaked in angst and passion, and a lyrical backbone that openly declares the pain and confusion of being deserted and broken hearted.
The track opens up with its hook, an extended section of the song that both starts and ends the mere minute-forty experience. This hook pours questions into the mix, the energy and intensity is high, and there’s a definite level of relatable vulnerability to the performance that draws you in for its unapologetic honesty.
Behind this, a fairly heavy, industrial style beat is met by a slightly delicate and dreamlike synth-riff. This riff lingers in the backdrop throughout, providing a mellow thread yet one that feels notably linked to classic hip hop in its simplicity and that haunting, ongoing aura.
I don’t understand why you leave
I don’t understand what you think
(Can’t up & leave)
When you got love this deep
Love that’s as deep as the sea
(Can’t Up & leave)
Listening ear when you need
Provide your soul what it need
(Can’t up & leave)
Was your best friend when you need
Now you want to go when I need
(Can’t up & leave)
During the verses, the intensity falls away a little, a varied vocal rhythm comes through to lay out the details and to let things evolve from uncertain declarations to a genuine cry for answers and understanding. Admitting weakness and pain, anxiety and thoughts of homicide, is a big deal, and Cejay Rich holds nothing back – these are the reasons his music connects in such a profound manner.
Even during these moments though, the paired vocals keep a sense of togetherness as the forefront – it’s a chorus of voices, which strangely lets the listener feel a little more involved and relevant to the process. This kind of pain and heartache is probably all too common for many listeners, and that realness and the weight of the performance allow it to speak at even greater volumes.
Up & Leave is a brief but striking piece of music and performance. The finish leaves a certain lo-fi effect lingering across everything, but in many ways this adds to the authenticity of the music and indeed of the healing process at its core.
Oh girl can you please
Listen to me speak
It’s been a week
My hearts getting weak
While I’m in my peak
Can’t even think
My anxiety start controlling me
So numb inside
Til I mummify
Then I nullify
Ohhh homicide
Oh boy love is blind
Didn’t see the signs
You’ll never find
Love as deep as mine
Just don’t leave my side
Or suicide
Girl it’s do or die
It’s just you & I
Don’t kill the vibe
If you leave I cry
Love x Demon rule my life
Don’t leave my life.
Find & follow Cejay Rich on Instagram.
