After months of mystery, rumors and silence, Hardrock has finally emerged from the shadows.
Sharing his new project 1OF1 featuring SahBabii and an all-star crew of producers in BNYX, Cxdy and F1LTHY, among others, the Atlanta riser’s relevance is now impossible to ignore.
While speculation for his lack of drops included his duties in the military (which he has reportedly left with aid from Ian Connor and Opium), along with murmurs of a bidding war between labels, Hardrock — who’s currently independent — proves he’s 1OF1 on his new 16-track album (Aug. 18).
Inspired by ATL pioneers in Playboi Carti, Future and Young Thug, Hardrock fully embodies the moniker he dons. With edgy, futuristic beats and flows that mimic the brashness of electric guitars, the 18-year-old star-in-the-making catches your attention as soon as you press play. This is more than apparent on 1OF1, with highlights in “WA/VE” (prod. by BNYX and F1LTHY), “marathon” (prod. by CXDY), “not afraid” and more, it’s bars like “I look at myself, I say you know you the one” that reassert Hardrock’s undeniable star power — possessing a natural track presence that feels larger than life. Sampling Avril Lavigne on the distorted “complicated,” a modern love ballad is spun through the slurred, slick-laced auto-tuned of Hardrock: “In my bed, I toss and turn cause I can’t sleep when I’m thinking about you.”
In other words, he makes you “Feel Alive” — a marquee track (which samples Deftones’ “Change”) off his 2022 EP SLATTYDON — pushing the envelope with blazing-fast bangers and moody alt-cuts alike. “Hardcore Drugs,” “God’s Hands” and 1OF1 cut “bleh” are just the tip of the iceberg for Hardrock, who would certainly make a good fit for Playboi Carti’s label Opium. Not to mention a co-sign from F1LTHY, Hardrock’s runway appearance for ALYX was further indication to his ties with 00, stemming from Destroy Lonely’s 1017 x ALYX collab earlier this year.
Stringing together a total of four projects in 2022 (Next!, Slimy Stuff, 808 Speaker Knockerz), 1OF1 is Hardrock’s first effort of 2023 — long-awaited from SLATTYDON last November. Of the new underground that’s taken shape in the past year, Hardrock’s place as a frontrunner is immovable.
Witness him seize his moment on 1OF1.
Listen “1OF1” below!
