The Ebro Demo is more than just a response to Hot 97’s Ebro Darden, who declared that Southern rappers, particularly those in Atlanta, “gotta get y’all bars up.” It’s a powerful, carefully crafted mission statement from DAEtrius, a gifted 22-year-old upstart from ATL who’s bound to make some serious noise with this EP.
The five tracks showcase a talent that is refined, focused, and versatile, because DAEtrius demonstrates he’s just as capable of throwing together a witty punchline as he is a sharp narrative. That’s particularly evident on “Parades,” which balances introspective storytelling with witty wordplay (“I want my dynasty on A&E/ Ain’t nobody A as me”), and closing track “Voice Memos,” a heartfelt message from an artist who’s passionate about his craft.
Both tracks are produced by Epikh Pro (Royce Da 5’9”, Bryson Tiller), who provides layers of Boom bap textures for DAEtrius to do what he does best: rap from the soul. Epikh also co-produced fiery opener “Lion’s Den” with the Olympicks (Lil Wayne, A$AP Rocky), who in turned supplied the jazzy “Nobody Believes.” Not to be outdone is NaScent’s otherworldly “The AK47 Interlude” beat, who like his cohorts provides DAEtrius with a sound that perfectly matches his fervor.
As we wait for DAEtrius’ first full-length project, Percy Park, to drop later this year, consider The Ebro Demo your appetizer. In the immortal words of Andre 3000, the EP absolutely proves that “the South got something to say”—and DAEtrius is the one saying it.
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