New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Some artists charge out of the gate with their sound cemented, their big ideas all set to go live. Emo-rap - or "Soundcloud rap" - as a genre makes it easy for artists to dip their toes in the water, to test-market a persona and style. Not LA-Pennsylvania rapper LBM, a.k.a. Lil Big Medium; he swan-dived right into the game. He's got a melodic, heart-on-his-sleeve delivery and a grasp of romantic and emotional tragedy well beyond his years that have already nudged him ahead of other artists crowding the lane. His breakout single " Stranded" has seen over 350,000 streams on Spotify and over half a million streams on Soundcloud; combined with a coveted feature on VIBE TV, this was a devastating breakout on its own but LBM sees a bigger picture. It was just the first installment of a larger story that continued to play out in the follow-up video "Make Believe." And as he continues to release new songs and videos, the stories go on.
Charismatic and comfortable in front of the camera, LBM is a natural on-screen star. That videogenic presence? It can make anything, even the darkest of songs, feel like a sing-along. Such is the case with his new single and video "Sinner." In the vein of emo-rap pioneer Lil Peep, he recounts that he is - and always will be - a sinner; he's on the come-up now, but his demons only go away when he's high.
Directed by Jordan Moran, the " Sinner" music video is as foreboding as the title might suggest. It opens with a masked person shoveling dirt - digging something, anything, but what? - all alone in a forest just before nightfall. From the forest to an old hallway, LBM is surrounded by his (masked) posse as he raps the words like a lullaby - melodic and rhythmic, so smooth you might forget how dark they really are. Who's behind the masks? You'll have to watch to find out.
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