Saren, a musician who works as a mix/mastering engineer while also being active in various fields as a rapper/producer/DJ, released his new single “Five Star Freestyle / 8&8..” on Wednesday, August 28th.
“Five Star Freestyle” is a downer rap song that skillfully extracts the lethargy of cloud rap and pluggnb, and the contours of reggaeton. It does not clearly sing about love, nor does it go against the world, but records his own mental landscape in the lyrics like a diary, and covers it with the vagueness of mumble rap. The music video for the song has been available for pre-release since Wednesday, August 21st. It was directed by Hajime Matsuo, who also did the artwork.
Like the aforementioned “Five Star Freestyle,” “8&8..” is a downer number with a diary-like feel, with lyrics that contain Saren’s memories and sentiments from his days. The beat is made up of a number of dense sound particles that combine his own unique street strength and introspective ambience, making it a track that doesn’t pierce through the upper register, but gives off an unshakable strength deep within. A music video for the song was also released to coincide with the release.
In both of these songs, Saren focuses on the way we remember, rather than the memory itself. While breaking away from the hip-hop aesthetic centered on “thug,” he says he values the “hug” contained in the word.
[Release Information]
Saren “Five Star Freestyle / 8&8..”
Release Date：2024.08.28 (Wed.)
Label:
Tracklist:
1. Five Star Freestyle
2. 8&8..
■Saren:X (Twitter) / Instagram
