CEO Trayle’s twisty and conversational flow helps him stand apart in the street rap game. Turning his focus inward as he spars with his split personality, Trayle shares the video for “Alter Ego 2,” a tête a tête with C4, named as one of the 43 Best Rap Songs of 2022 by Pitchfork. With a sinuous beat produced by OG Parker, Beezo, DreGotJuice & Carson Hackney, “Alter Ego 2” interrogates Trayle’s conflicted mindset. Trayle attempts to better his life through his music, focusing on the positives as he raises his profile, while C4 attempts to drag him back into the streets, unable to shake the paranoia that accompanies the hustler lifestyle. “I know you shellshocked, b*tch, but everybody ain’t no enemy,” Trayle says, but an unconvinced C4 replies: “Whenever we do, n**** start to envy me/I done gave n*****s all the sympathy.”
Directed by AZae Production, the video uses camera trickery to dramatize the conversation between the song’s two characters. Dressed in all black, C4 smirks and counts his cash, while the orange-clad Trayle attempts to resist his charms and keep his life on the straight-and-narrow. “Alter Ego 2” is one of the key tracks from HH5, Trayle’s most recent mixtape.
Acclaimed by Pitchfork, who gave the mixtape its coveted Best New Music designation, HH5 establishes Trayle as one of the slickest talkers in a stacked ATL scene, twirling his soft-spoken and erudite delivery like a cartoon villain twirls his mustache. Creeping over instrumentals like Freddy Kreuger slips through subconsciouses, Trayle juxtaposes his sly wit with moments of pathos, toeing the line expertly on tape highlights like “We So Young” and “Took Some Time.” HH5 features some of Trayle’s most expansive production to date, with contributions from Dun Deal, OG Parker, Go Grizzly, Trauma Tone, and Trayle’s frequent collaborator Stribb, among many others. Home to standout singles like “Chokehold” and the complicated relationship anthem “I Love You But…,“ featured on Drake’s OVO Sound Radio, HH5 is available everywhere via Do What You Love/10K Projects.
HH5 was the crowning achievement in a breakout year for CEO Trayle. Capitalizing on the momentum of Trayle’s viral 2021 hit “Ok Cool,” which generated over 60 million streams and earned a remix from Gunna, 2022 saw the release of Vier, a four-track EP released in July alongside a Q&A with The FADER, and the 8-song mixtape The Collection, home to highlights like “Of Course,” the tape’s closing track. Trayle made a splash in Fall 2022 with his From The Block freestyle, where he performed his song “Song Cry,” which racked up over nearly 2 million views on YouTube.
With HH5 in the books and much more music to come, CEO Trayle is primed to take over the rap game.
© 2023, Seth "Digital Crates" Barmash. All rights reserved.
