I’ve personally never understood why folks were so quick to dismiss those looking to get into the music industry who had parents or relatives that have been movers and shakers. Of course there’s the assumption that things have been handed to them, but in reality just being around those people so often generates a genuine interest and knowledge far beyond those looking in from the outside. Plus, when considering King Combs specifically, he’s already spoken out about how his father Diddy wasn’t looking to give him a pass until he felt he was ready and talented enough.
Upon first look at Cyncerely 3, a nine song, 25-minute EP with 13 features, one may think the 20-year old simply capitalized off of connections and fell in the shadows while others carried his project. The connections thing is valid, but I can’t comfortably say he was outshadowed in any way. Which says a lot when you’ve got names like Jeremih, Ty Dolla $ign, City Girls, and Tee Grizzley.
I’ve personally been a fan since I saw him perform live in the Summer of 2017 at the Source360 Block Party in Brooklyn, NY. In the time that has passed, his abilities as a lyricist and songwriter have only grown. He has a certain swagger to his voice and content. The difference here is we know he’s not lying about the life he lives, given the family he’s a part of but also his social media. The rapper, producer and model is versatile in many ways.
He can bring the hard-nosed grit the oldheads prefer, the woozy energy for the bedroom alongside top R&B crooners, and the turnup anthems for the car and club. For me, the most impressive outings were “Heaven Sent” and “Birthday Suit” where he had no features whatsoever.
It was exciting to see Diddy join in the fun, popping a champagne bottle near waterfront as they celebrated the EP’s release. He took to his social media to say Combs handled the project entirely on his own, which is very impressive for a young artist like himself. I just love to see the steady improvement. And it was nice to see “The West” featuring Kai Cash and 03 Greedo on there because that’ll be a bop for a looooong time.
Shoutout King Combs on a solid project. A bigger shoutout for forging his own path and not looking to mooch off of the empire his father built, like people try to assume. This’ll be in my rotation for a while. Maybe it’ll be in yours too. Check out Cyncerely 3 below.
