Usually, I like to keep these “Listen To This Right Now” posts short and sweet; introduce you to the artist, provide a little context, and let the music speak for itself. But I think today’s pick deserves a bit of a backstory.
I was once a video vixen. Allow me to clarify: I was once an extra in a no-budget music video filmed in a quaint East Dallas apartment. It was several years ago, back when I was a college student and an intern at D Magazine. Kalan Briggs, a photographer and sometimes rapper, invited my friend and I to the video shoot for his song “for the women with booking info,” featuring 88 Killa.
Admittedly, I played a small but vital role in the video, making a couple brief cameos. I lack what the biz calls “rhythm” and “screen presence.” That’s beside the point, which is that Plain Jane Francis and 88 Killa sounded really good in the song, even (or maybe especially) after I heard it several dozen times.
I’ve been keeping up with the two artists since. Kalan is largely focused on his photography career, particularly with his work for Breda Watches, and 88 has been building his repertoire as a solo artist. (Although this recent collab is also worth a listen.)
All of that leads me to 88 Killa’s latest release, “Salute the G.” The intro will make you laugh and feel nostalgic for nights out in Deep Ellum as it existed a couple years ago. He riffs about Sunday nights at RBC (“I think you still owe me $5 from last week…”) and his girlfriend, makeup artist Allison Lipford. The jokes got me, but it’s a pretty good song on its own.
If you really want to “Salute the G” while practicing social distancing, you can purchase an official 88 Killa protective face mask through the artist’s Instagram.
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