Survival is a new single from King Du, a hip hop artist representing Brockton, Massachusetts. This tenacious anthem exlores the suffocating struggle of our “survival of the fittest” world. Embracing the realist mentality of “doing what you’ve gotta do,” King Du’s action oriented lyrics focus on perseverance and overcoming obstacles. The song is catchy and his use of a football running back as a visual metaphor is effective in conveying the central theme. He’s out there breaking tackles and just pushing whichever way he can to get those few extra yards ahead. King Du’s delivery is assertive and subtly motivational without coming across as arrogant or preachy. He presents as a humble guy just “aiming for a goal.”
The song has an unexpectedly cool guitar intro before the beat kicks in (for a few seconds I momentarily wondered if this might turn out to be an alternative rock song). Then track quickly transitions to a high octane beat and removes all doubt. There is some light processing on the vocals, as is common in contemporary hip hop and pop music, but it isn’t particularly excessive or distracting. For his part, King Du actually can rap well and at an impressive pace. He’s a skillful lyricist as well and does a fine job at constucting a cohesive narrative. While Survival doesn’t try to position itself as being profound, it absolutely captures the zeitgeist of the times we live in.
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