https://open.spotify.com/album/62gDHe5I24VWur8CiJ828A?si=qp7S1ZToS0G3Fw5TBrOL1g
Patrick Sun is starting off the year with his most honest body of work to date on his new EP, Villain Energy. Through relatable storytelling and hard-hitting bars across the project’s eight tracks, the Chicago Rapper declares his own righteousness after accepting who he truly is as a creator.
The Chicago rapper’s lyrical abilities are evident from the get-go, as he handles the mic with confidence and ease while delivering detailed, emotive lyrics about the world today. Opener “Time Crisis” contains a darkly atmospheric soundscape that suits Sun’s potent delivery, while “Runnin” makes for an ethereal 2-part banger that keeps the listener hooked with an engaging beat switch.
Patrick Sun says, “One thing that I want people to take away from [Villian Energy] is understanding who I am as an artist and who I am as a person… how my artistry has evolved over time and how I try to improve myself with each [release].”
Villain Energy can best be described as the peak of Sun’s character arc. The journey of reflection and self-acceptance that listener’s hear on Sun’s EP creates an effect that moves one enough to consider the maturation of their own character and how they will ultimately choose to carry themselves in this life.
Patrick Sun is someone who is pretty new to me personally, and although I don’t know a ton about him, I do know that the South Side spitter means serious business because he believes in his skills, and he has the evidence to back up his claims.
He has certain songs on this EP that are hard, others that are more somber or resonant, and a few more that are painted with some of the smoothest flows in the world. At the same time, no matter what sound he utilizes on each song, his personality shines bright while bringing his various aptitudes along for the ride, making this one of the most unignorable tapes that I’ve heard in Chicago in a while. Patrick Sun is certainly on the rise, and Crash is just the next step in his journey, so don’t wait to get acquainted with the South Sider any longer and tap in ASAP.
Chicago is always flourishing with up-and-coming talent, but it often seems to be about who you know here rather than how good the music sounds. Now, that isn’t saying much because the music is almost always unheard of and spectacular, but there are definitely some underground gems who don’t receive nearly as much recognition as they deserve because other artists take over their spotlight, but considering these hard-working emcees were built by Chicago, that just makes them grind even harder until they get their own moment in the limelight.
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