Cleveland native Orlando Watson caught our attention with his new release "TIME". The poignant track is made up of moody key arrangements, lush guitars, and mellow live drum grooves that form the right canvas for Watson's evocative lyrics and vivid storytelling. The rapper details his experiences involving the death of loved ones and the domino effects it has on everyone around him. Besides the painful grieving process, funeral arrangements, and regret, Watson also deals with inner demons especially vices trying to lure him in. Joining him on the track is a singer Shenel Johns who helps solidify the record with a commanding performance and heartfelt plea to the world to speak well of her name after she is no more.
Orlando Watson graduated from Youngstown State University in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Creative Writing. In 2015 Watson was awarded the prestigious “Kente Cloth” by the Office of Diversity & Inclusion at Ohio State University alongside Dr. Marc Lamont Hill and released his debut project titled Everything’s Personal. He also opened up for Lalah Hathaway and Chantae Cann’s respective tours in 2018 and provided vocals on “Unfinished Song” by Latin Grammy award winner Linda Briceno, Braxton Cook’s “No Doubt” LP, Damien Sneed’s title track “We Shall Overcome” and “Schizophrenia” by Bobby Sparks II of Snarky Puppy. He currently serves as the Associate Director for the Tri-C JazzFest in Cleveland, Ohio.
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