It’s inevitable that new voices will always find a way to the forefront of the underground. Whether it was the arrival of KA$HDAMI, Tana, Slump6s and the “Antisocial” crew during the height of the “SoundCloud Renaissance” or Destroy Lonely and Ken Carson‘s undisputed rise as generational tastemakers; there’s a now new era being ushered in.
Budding stars like Glokk40spaz, Smokingskul, Corey Lingo, che, Your Stepdad, Devstacks and more have led a revitalized charge of hypnotic plugg-rap fusions — still rooted in the sounds of SoundCloud 2.0. Armed with an ear for experimentation and genreless intent, perhaps the most glaring of this group is OsamaSon, whose debut album Osama Season refreshes the new wave with the hunger its marquee faces once held.
After his music recently appeared on streams hosted by BruceDropEmOff, the Ohio native’s audience grew quite rapidly. However, OsamaSon has been steadily dropping music since 2021. Stemming from a string of EPS titled I’m Da Man, Vengeance & Carnival, osamavrt, slime and Bad Habits, the 19-year-old talent’s official debut is an impressive first step into new wave notoriety.
His distinct caliber of forward-thinking atmospheric rage is far beyond what would be expected for a full-length debut. Over the course of 12 tracks, Osama’s impressive vocal refinement on “Summer Sixteen,” “Leh Go,” “Werkin,” “X & Sex” and more all display his knack for curating quality cuts. A captivating array of sung hooks and sizzling bars pair well with spacey, oft-ambient plugg melodies and wobbly, distorted 808s all throughout the record.
Osama’s hit single “Troops” (June 2) and “cts-v” were catalysts to his rise in the underground — both of which being fiery, exuberant pit anthems made for the mosh. Undertones of Speaker Knockerz bleed through his auto-laced cadences, reminding listeners of the late-rapper’s performance on “Freak Hoe,” “Flexin & Finessin’ and other cult classics. While “Werkin” is the most prominent example of this comparison, OsamaSon’s sound is all his own, championing an alt-aggressive vibe that feels not only recently nostalgic, but unquestionably of-the-moment.
As the summer starts to simmer, tap in to OsamaSon for a final heat check.
Listen to ‘Osama Season’ below!
