New York and Los Angeles will always be hot, but if you really want to know what’s going on in hip-hop, the place to look is Atlanta. Specifically, it’s the clubs and lounges of A-Town that matter most: that’s the proving ground, the place where new records are broken and new sounds and styles are introduced to listeners who live and breathe hip-hop. Georgia rapper Snypa knows a thing or two about life on the cutting edge. For the past few years, he’s been making ridiculously catchy singles, collaborating with Dirty South legends like Young Thug and YSL, and releasing his music through his own Wraith Talk imprint. In the clip for “Times2,” Snypa brings us to Door 54, the electrifying hip-hop club just off of Howell Mill Road, the main line of the Atlanta renaissance.
Notably, director Rahn Evans shoots the star underneath the club’s neon-lit sign, flanked by beautiful women and rapping with the confidence of someone who has just arrived. But the director also shows him dancing between two parked cars, framed by the Atlanta skyline. The message is clear: Snypa is on the cusp of entertainment industry success, but he’s still got his feet planted firmly on the streets. Is he about to bang down the door and take the city — and Southern hip-hop — by storm? Only a fool would bet against him. But Snypa is just as comfortable walking through neighborhoods as he is sitting at the Door 54 bar. He’s a true rap citizen, a keeper of the flame, and a continuation of the local tradition of excellence that has made Atlanta hip-hop’s first city.
“Times2” demonstrates the skills that justify his swagger. Like all Snypa songs, it’s searing, immediate, and, once heard, difficult to forget. The rapper establishes the song’s rhythmic cadences with an easy, approachable flow — but by the minute mark, he’s accelerated and handling tongue-twisting passages with absolute authority. Produced by Trell Got Wings and the aptly-named Kid808 (who also worked with Snypa on the underground smash “That’s It”), “Times2” leads with the thunderous bass and propulsive trap beats that characterize the Atlanta sound at its most undeniable. It’s no wonder that Lil Wayne has already signed on to guest on the remix. This is the good stuff, true A-Town stuff, and everybody who hears it is going to want in on the action.
