Swae Lee has made a name for himself outside of Southern hip-hop duo Rae Sremmurd, and is a force to be reckoned with both within and beyond the hip hop world. Tracks such as French Montana’s “Unforgettable” show off his singing chops and his impressive list of writing credits includes the hook to Beyoncé’s “Formation.” For Rae Sremmurd’s upcoming project, Swae and Jxmmi will present a 3 part album consisting of a duo side of the album and parts with each of the brothers exclusively and allowing for more Swae melodies to take shape. The first Swae track released off the album, “Hurt to Look”, continues the energetic production that Swae is known for, but shows off a tender, moodier side to Swae’s singing. The much more serious, emotional ballad has that characteristic Swae hook, but implements a more groovy and comparably chilled backdrop. It’s a song to “make you feel some kind of way,” as Swae describes it while explaining that each track is a whole feeling, often mellow and “easy on the ears.” Above all, however, Swae insists that the music is meant to be “feel good” and both embodies and advocates for a positive life outlook. Swae’s goals for his music as universal and far-reaching—with projected listeners ranging from doctors to lawyers to kids and “whatever lifestyle you live,” as Swae puts it—but entirely unique to what is popular and being produced today are not far off. The album proposes to position Swae as a heavy weight, unpredictable musician producing serious music that still has the enjoyable, turn up element that Rae Sremmurd is known for. And that is exactly what Swae’s music fulfills: a serendipitous unpredictability that is only predictable in the sense that Swae, with all his Gemini-crooning selves, always delivers.
