In 2012, Songs From Scratch was founded by San Francisco's craft mogul Yours Truly and iconic athletic label adidas as an original music series. Powered by collaborations between artists who share a passion for creating and inspiring action, Songs From Scratch has put out tracks by Jacques Greene x Tinashe, Jeremih x Shlohmo, Angel Haze x Lunice, and more. Their February studio product by London duo SNAKEHIPS and independent Canadian rapper Tory Lanez titled "Dímelo" at first seems to be an unlikely musical pairing (like past collaborations), as SNAKEHIPS specializes in sexy summer sounds and Tory Lanez is Argentino Fargo. Yet the keyword to that statement is "seems". The effective duality of cascading violins and percussion greatly compliments Tory Lanez, who provides a mixture of sweet, syrup-like rap and harmonization. Each time Yours Truly and adidas puts two incredibly talented and profound musicians in a room together, it is inevitable that ingenuity prevails.
This month, Songs From Scratch made a video previewing the next collaboration between Baauer, Fetty Wap, and Dubbel Dutch for a track called "Promises". Baauer and Fetty both share a sudden catapult into fame, one from "Harlem Shake" and the other with "Trap Queen", each with over 30 million plays on Youtube. NPR music editor Frannie Kelley beautifully recounts and documents the experience of being in the studio along with New York photojournalist Polina V. Yamshchikov. Kelley describes the remarkable affect a single hit has on a musician's life as a tide that has swept the nation, "and when the tide recedes, the expectations that are left on the beach of your career have basically nothing to do with reality." How often is it do we witness notoriety indiscriminately bless an individual overnight? For millions, it is a dream that may be sought out over the course of a lifetime. For some, time and effort turns a wish into a conceivable path. For few, their hopes and dreams may hit them as if they were a deer in the headlights. With "Promises", Baauer and Fetty Wap vow to feed the flame that they've lit.
Fetty's raspy and melodic voice makes a catchy chorus, similar to the way "Trap Queen" makes it way into everyone's head. As one who never second guesses his identity, Fetty puts 1738 on blast to rep the Paterson squad's premium drink of choice: the 1738 Rémy Martin cognac. He pledges loyalty to Rémy Boyz 1738 and RGF Productions in "Promises" as Baauer changes creative direction in production, working with Dubbel Dutch to make a bass and synth line reminiscent of a island party at the Bahamas. Although different in taste, Baauer's part still maintains a trap-like sound given by brass horns. Fetty on the other hand may say he never thought he'd be a singer, but the fact that his melodies always makes its way onto someone's lips is enough to prove that he understands the relationship between sound and soul.
"Promises" can be heard on Baauer's Soundcloud. Check out the curated documentation of the creative process here and take a listen below.
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