Britton Rauscher, a 23-year-old rap newcomer from the low-lands of South Carolina, proves that it's not where you're from it's where your head is at on the heavy snappin' single "FIG NEWTONS". The song has a cocky but light-hearted swagger to it underscored by thumping 808-kicks and distantly drifting synthesizer pads.
In the spirit of bringing full transparency to you the reader, I need to get this out of the way before I go any further…
I can't really explain why I like this song so much.
On paper, I shouldn't. I'm an "old school head" who should be posted up on some sort of "golden era hip-hop only" soapbox while waving off the way that this track leans so heavily into the trap-steeped culture of today's rap scene. Yet "FIG NEWTONS" (which is a reference to the size of the diamond in his ring) wins the day with its head-nodding, chest rumbling beat and the fact that Britton sounds razor-sharp as he spits lines with the flair of a life-long dope boy. But Britton's cool & cocky vibe also has a playful, tongue-in-cheek feel to it – threading a narrow needle that neither mocks those who came before him nor take itself too seriously. He sells the fact that he is an earnest student of the booming trap-house sound while also injecting some singular "wait, what did he just say?" wit into his rhymes. So while he may not be treading new ground in the battlefield of rap music, he does inject enough earnestness into his music and image to set himself apart from many of his peers.
You know what? Now that I think about it, maybe I can explain why I like this song so much…because the shit is dope.
"FIG NEWTON" is the latest single to drop from Britton Rauscher's forthcoming album KRENKO, and is available now on all streaming services
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