After going viral on TikTok with “Penthouse Shorty,” Dom Corleo’s name has been inescapable from the underground scene.
Some may assume that the 20-year-old’s success was pure luck, however, the Bay Area native has been working on music since 2018. Sharing 2014 — his new 6-track EP which features Highway and Lunchbox — on Friday (Jan. 27), Corleo’s presence as a new wave star is now more evident than ever.
Over the years, the rising West Coast rapper has explored his sound through many different genres such as drill, trap, pluggnb and experimental. With the help of his main producer 16teen, Corleo delivered the grunge trap sound fans know and love him for.
2014 employs a more sample-laden approach to Dom’s darker, edgy soundscape. Throughout the project, Corleo flows over instrumentals flooded with chopped vocals, ethereal synths and rolling 808s from Internet Money producers Cxdy and Rio Leyva. On the sure-fire hit “Luv Drunk,” Dom’s deep auto-tuned vocals float over altered vocal contributions from Clara La San.
“IDK” with Highway is another polished cut with whiry synths and bouncy percussion, as the DotCom Nirvan-directed visual brings fans into the track’s otherwordly view. All six songs on 2014 seem to highlight Corleo’s unique ability to seamlessly transition between chorus and verse — perfectly exemplified on the project’s fourth track, “Diamond Eyes.”
Corleo can be heard rapping about endless amounts of designer clothes and women on “#WW” with Lunchbox. Dom’s muddy tone paired with high-pitched ad-libs and a melodic verse from Lunchbox prove to a lethal combo that will have listeners hooked.
There’s no doubt that Dom deserves his spot at the top of the underground pyramid after years of consistency and hard work — fully disproving previous claims of being a “clone” of the sound Yeat and Destroy Lonely popularized. He’s brought his own sound and style to the forefront of the underground — taking all the right steps on 2014.
Listen to 2014 below!
