By: Sam Dykema
Written as part of contributions to thepanelcollab.com
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When the name Deante’ Hitchcock came up about four months ago I got to be honest I had no clue who the guy was outside of thinking that maybe I saw his name amongst the many that appeared on Revenge of The Dreamers III feature list.
While simply being apart of that list was a clear cosign from one of the rap game’s rulers (J. Cole) Hitchcock was not one of the voices I took away from ROTD III as one that I absolutely needed a solo album from. Artists like JID and Earthgang and Mereba took those unofficial titles in my head.
Boy was I wrong.
Upon a re-listen to his lone Dreamers appearance on “PTSD” I heard a rhymer who totally embodies the style, flow and themes of the aforementioned Cole blended with something dirtier, and reminiscent of ATL staples like T.I. or 2Chainz.
So yes, after a revisit I would add Hitchcock to that list of Dreamers that need their own album.
Better, Hitchcock’s first studio album delivers on educating listeners about his skill in flowing and switching cadences but also serves as an honest, reflective and unmistakably Atlanta album. Hitchcock uses this album to truly introduce exactly what he’s about and why his name needs to be up there with Earthgang and JID when talking about the next come-up of Atlanta rappers.
Better allows Hitchcock to not only rise to his fellow Dreamers level but occasionally exceed it, firmly leaving his mark on the 2020 relesase schedule. The album begins with a reflective and slow intro in “I Remember” where Hitchcock sing-raps through a chorus of “I remember ridin' dirty with my motherfuckin' gas gauge was broke / Ain't even know that bitch was ridin' on E / I remember droppin' out of college, watchin' all my classmates / On God, I'm sorry, mama I ain't got my degree / I remember stressin' out about it, thought it, then the cash came / And now I'm still exactly who I thought I would be.” Hitchcock’s bars give detail to his current day confidence gained through the hardships of his earlier life in the ATL.
That intro track then rolls into a lulling and infectious sample of Minnie Ripperton’s 1970 track, “Les Fleur” with a distinctly 70s sounding guitar progression before Hitchcock’s southernly drawled ad-libs intersperse pre-verse.
And then Hitchcock dives into two verses where he absolutely shines on the wonderfully braggadocious and catchy banger that headlines this album and should do the same on rap playlists the rest of the year. One of the things that makes this song so good to me is how listeners can hear how damn happy and fun Hitchcock likes to keep it especially now that he’s “Got Money.”
Personally I picture the entire first two verses being spit with a big ass smile and a blunt in rotation with a bunch of longtime friends celebrating having “made it.” Relaying the nostalgia and emotion of a time like that through sound and lyrics alone is always something I can get behind. And then at the end of “I Got Money,” another top rapper from Atlanta JID who, in my opinion, is also one of the tops in the entire game right now effortlessly switches up from Hitchcock’s flow, ripping a quick, snappy flow that sounds quintessentially true to JID’s style. Another highlight of the album is the other single “How TF” with 6Lack where listeners see the range of Hitchcock with the R&B and emotional flows the song has which explore into Hitchcock’s relationships and relationship with the word love. The final track on the project “Angels,” is another highlight for me. On this track Hitchcock puts down two verses (the first of which might be perfect) to start off that are lyrically incredible but furthermore thematically provide a conclusion and closure to of the ideas that Better focuses on such as overcoming hurdles, finally making money, death, and other elements of Hitchcock’s personal evolution. In the 10 track album Hitchcock undoubtedly introduces himself not only in terms of backstory like on “I Remember,” “I Got Money Now,” and “Growing Up/Mother God” but also shows his distinctly ATL brand of cockiness and humor, something listeners get through songs like “Attitude,” “Gimmie Yo Money,” or after the switch-up on “Angels.” While Hitchcock didn’t make a perfect album in his first release, he came closer than many. Better is a rather apt name for Hitchcock’s current album, because, well, that’s what it is. It is better. Better than anything Hitchcock has done personally but furthermore it is better than so much of the current albums that too often feel like a few to several solid tracks combined with scraps, rushed production or top-40 sellout tracks. Hitchcock, with the 10 tracks that ended up on Better avoids all of that, with each track feeling clean and complete giving listeners a feel for the care Hitchcock and his team put into the beats and lyrics Hitchcock uses to make his formal, punctual and deeply personal introduction into the upper echelons of current Atlanta rappers and the game as a whole.
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