This is not a fire drill, Veeze is the real thing.
After first introducing the idea of Ganger over two years ago, at long last Veeze’s official debut has finally arrived.
With the hype around Detroit’s newest star at an all time high in recent months following his infectious lead single “GOMD,” the new project is already living up to its sky high expectations. Not only are your favorite artists, producers, and tastemakers rejoicing across social media, even after numerous leaks the numbers are finally reflecting the outsized influence of Veeze and the overwhelming demand for the unorthodox Detroit swag he’s helped export to the masses – as Ganger independently climbs the Youtube Trending and Apple Music Charts (currently sitting at No. 3) on its way to Billboard.
An undeniable pioneer of the nonchalant swag sweeping the game, no one can be understated and overstated at the same time quite like Veeze. For those that have acquired the taste for “offbeat rap”, Ganger is GAIG (good as it gets). While his delivery is deceptively sleepy, his bars are sharp, his production is cutting-edge, and his unusual choices are being noticed by some of the biggest names in music – sparking quotable and objectively true bars like “Some of my biggest fans is your biggest influence.” For example, Lil Baby is showing his full support for the release, and companies like Spotify, Stem, Rolling Stone and FADER are showing love. The Washington Post just included Veeze on their Best Pop Music of 2023 list alongside Paramore, Lana Del Ray and Ice Spice. And apparently he’s even had CEOs copying his moves.
Ganger is full of interesting choices that feel like a combination of clever decisions and happy accidents – perhaps fitting for the most laidback new star in the game. From the experimentally pitched-down Yachty appearance on “Boat Interlude”, to the call-in from Uzi on “SEXY Liar” for a hilarious update on his outfit and dinner plans amidst the release of his own long-awaited project, to the BassKids-produced “Unreleased Leak” drawing attention to the fact that Veeze turned a collection of snippets and leaks into a cohesive body of work that properly represents his many facets.
The only other features are from LUCKI, cementing their bond with their first official collab on “Broke Phone,” and of course fellow Motor City legends Babyface Ray and Icewear Vezzo who reunited on “7sixers” for the first time since their iconic joint-track “Meg Thee Stallion.”
While those are certainly some of the most coveted collabs in the game, with just 5 features across 21 songs Veeze really is the star of the show. While he sounds in absolute peak form on tracks like “LICK!” “tramp stamp” and “Robert Deniro,” he proves why he’s the 7 Mile Justin Timberlake by offering up a surprisingly wide range of vibes: from the tough talking “Not A Drill” and “No Sir Ski” in the front half to the unexpectedly tender melodies on tracks later on like “Weekend,” “Kinda $” and “Tony Hawk” – conjuring images of future acoustic awards show performances with his stripped-down performances on “WhoDa1” and “Safe 2.”
And even though he sounds like he’s in varied stages of awakeness throughout the album, every line is worth hearing as he invents his own acronyms like “GAIG” (“Good as it gets”) and U-I-P (“Unimportant Person”) and weaves together clever name drops and deceptively simple bars that you’ve never heard before. A few fun examples: “This that Kanye check, they sent it Through the Wire” “My sister realer than most these n*****, sometimes I think she a boy” and “Who shot me in my back? Naw my outfit just Ricky.”
It also cannot be overstated that a big part of Veeze’s sound is his ear for unique production. Apparently he has been hoarding all the best beats from an all-star lineup of Detroit producers including Tye Beats, Pooh Beatz, Come On P, Rocaine, and Taz – and other staples like BassKids, MitchGoneMad, Mr.Wess, Ddot, G Lok, MOB, GLA, 614 Ase and Section4s – which will no doubt cause another rush towards the incredibly influential sounds coming out of the midwest.
Like all his choices from production to fashion, Veeze’s visuals are always intentional and cutting edge. To ring in his long-awaited project, he brought us into his world with an insane 3D animated trailer from Gallery Provence – the hugely prolific graphic designer who created the original Ganger cover years ago and whose signature illustrated style has birthed a whole genre of coverart – with the trailer seamlessly transitioning into the new surreal illustrated cover by Vameee.
To accompany its release, and reassure impatient fans that is not “Not a Drill,” he dropped a music video showcasing his new jetsetting lifestyle as well as his tastemaking prowess with carefully curated cameos from some of the coolest new faces including Luh Tyler, Loe Shimmy, Highway, and the DCG Brothers at the recent SummerSmash festival in Chicago just last weekend – surely some of the up and coming faces he’s referring to when he says: “Feels like a proud dad when I watch Youtube”. We also catch glimpses of important members of the Wavy Navy including rising artist Talibando, staple producers Basskids and Tye Beats, and important behind-the-scenes players like Shooter Jimmy and Lestyn Park (“Les just walked in, that’s my twin”).
Currently living the “OverseasBaller” lifestyle as he and Babyface Ray wrap up the international leg of their ‘Courtesy of the Mob’ tour, at this point there is no denying that the Wavy Navy boys are known around the nation (and well beyond).
It’s rare that an album that has existed in the ether for so long and with so much hype lives up to its expectations. Once again it seems like Veeze is a rare exception to the rule. Exactly where his rocket ship ride to the top is headed next even he probably doesn’t know, but with the arrival of Ganger one thing is for certain: Veeze is the real thing.
Listen to ‘Ganger’ below
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