Los Angeles rapper D Savage is an act that I have only become aware of within the last month or so. I was on Soundcloud listening to a “mix” entitled “Have You Been Thinking Bout Me Lately?” created by user Sadiq10k. This “mix,” which is essentially a playlist, consisted of four song, two from underground Soundcloud rappers and the other two from established artists Lil Uzi Vert and Playboi Carti. D Savage’s track 2018 one-off track “Lately” is the second song in the mix. It is charming to discover that the name of mix is directly taken from the song’s chorus, in which D Savage laments on a lost love with the repetition of the lyric “Tell me, have you been thinking ‘bout me lately?” The track has a spacey and psychedelic element to it provided by D Savage’s melodic auto tuned vocals and the high pitched synth riff that carries throughout the duration of the track. “Lately,” even in contention with the deep cut Uzi track “NuYork Nights at 21” and Playboi Carti’s “Home” from his debut album Die Lit (2018) became my favorite track in the entire mix. The song fascinated me. I was so drawn to D Savage’s sound that I would listen to “Lately” on repeat and not mind at all. It was as if his music put me into a trance.

When I learned that D Savage was not just some obscure Soundcloud figure but a rapper with his foot in the door to the industry already, I became even more intrigued. D Savage first saw success at age seventeen with his song “30 Round Clip” in 2016. The Chicago trap inspired track blew up at the time and has been streamed over 10 million times to date on Soundcloud alone. In 2017, D Savage dropped his debut mixtape “D Phoenix” with features from rappers such as Ty Dolla $ign, Lil Yatchy, and Yung Bans. With endorsements from artists such as these, it is clear that D Savage has eyes on him. And he recently gave those eyes something to pay attention to with the release of his newest project, Trust No One.

With twelve songs and a forty minute runtime, Trust No One is D Savage’s most extensive project yet. Unlike “D Phoenix”, D Savage only features two other rappers on his new album (HoodRich Pablo Juan and Mpr Tito), their verses lent to a single track, “Sticks.” Other than that, D Savage is faced with the challenge of carrying the rest of Trust No One by himself. He is able to do this with a certain level of success. One could describe the overall sound and vibe of Trust No One as a product of its time. The project fits right into the ever growing subgenre of rap/trap music known as “cloud rap.” Cloud rap is characterized by lo-fi production, relaxed (and almost sleepy) rap flow, and meditations on love, sex, fame, drug use, crime, and emotional turnmoil. Although cloud rap is most heavily embraced by more fringe acts such as Yung Lean and SpaceGhostPurrp, the sound has also been embodied by mainstream rappers such as A$AP Rocky and Lil B.

D Savage stated in an interview with HotNewHipHop that he does not consider himself a lyrical artist, but one who makes “sounds.” Although it is easy to see a comment like that and write the rapper off as ignorant to the art, there is a lot of merit to making something that simply sounds good. This is what I enjoy about D Savage the most. The production style of his songs is not heavy. Yes, he does like to use synths, high pitched galactic melodies, and hi hats in his music, but him and his producers take each element and incorporate them into tracks in a way that keeps things calm, keeps the vibes in check. The spacy production is grounded by D Savage’s clean singing and rap flow. D Savage does not let his words get lost in his beat or drowned in autotune. He always enunciates, allowing listeners the ability to fully immerse themselves in the music without feeling alienated by indescript lyrics. The tone of his voice is nice as well. He very much sounds like himself and does not push himself to put on a voice or performance that does not feel natural to him. This authenticity in his sound is clear to anyone who decides to give this project a listen.

Trust No One is a step in the right direction for D Savage as he continues to reach for stardom. Although the project begins to lag in the second half (as many rap releases today seem to do), D Savage does not bore or disappoint. His production is clean, his flow is solid, his melodies are sweet. All three of these elements together create a vibey project that is easy on the ears without compromising quality or style. In the same HotNewHipHop interview, D Savage stated that he wants to get more into music theory and into sounds on a technical level, influenced by his friendship with “music nerd” Tyler, the Creator. With more music knowledge under his belt, D Savage can create projects that expand the scope of what “cloud rap” can be. As the decade comes to a close, the question must be asked: What does the future of internet rap look like? With some more projects under his belt and a further development of his sound, D Savage could very well have a place in that discussion. He is undoubtedly an act to watch.

Favorite Tracks:

Wytd

Pill

Rating: 7

Listen to Trust No One here:

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