Rapper and poet George Watsky returns with his first new single in two years, “Welcome to the Family.” An awesome comeback it is.

“Hello, hello, hello, hello / It’s a motherf**king pleasure / No pressure / But would you like to blow my mind.” What a way to kick of a record, that’s for sure.  George Watsky (simply Watsky) is one of the more underrated rappers and poets in the game.  If you haven’t heard a project by the Cali standout, frankly, you’re missing out. “Welcome to the Family” marks the hip-hop musician’s first brand-new single since his superb 2016 studio album, x Infinity.  He doesn’t disappoint.

Before the aforementioned explicit kick off, “Welcome to the Family” commences with detuned piano.  This is just one bit of goodness from stellar production work, which is also comprised of synths and sleek hip-hop drum programming.  Safe to say, Watsky definitely has inspiration from the backdrop to fuel his creative fire.  Naturally, he eats up the detuned piano loop, talking his stuff.  There’s a lot of it too. Related to the family concept, he makes a great point about families on the third verse:

“But I think every family is a butterfly / You know, pretty from afar, pretty gross up close / Don’t pity what we are, it’s mostly un-hideous.”

Later on, on the same verse, he focuses on working through issues as a team – a truly, committed couple.

“And it’s seeming like we’re in agreement / That the demon that we’re fighting isn’t the exact same / But if we’re teaming up and carrying the weight together / We can miss a bit of back pain.”

Beyond the assortment of things Watsky talks about, he also has some enhancements.  These include vocal effects (pitch shift), harmonized vocals, and his own colorful vocal inflections. Colorful is a great way to describe Watsky’s performance, as well as the record itself.

Final Thoughts 

“You deserve love (welcome to the family).”  Watsky never fails to impress, and the same can be said of “Welcome to the Family.” What makes this such an impressive record is how personal he gets lyrically.  Of course, great production and a solid performance by George doesn’t hurt either.

Watsky • Welcome to the Family – Single • Watsky • Release: 8.3.18

Photo Credit: Watsky