Gambino appeared on Bennett’ s second tape Acid Raps, which marked his takeoff. The tape showcased all the elements of Bennett’ s developing style— the quirky humor, the organic-sounding instrumentals, the street advocacy, especially potent on the hidden track“ Paranoid,” where he discusses the murder spikes that take place during Chicago summers.“ They murking kids, they murder kids here,” he spits.“ Why you think they don’ t talk about it? They deserted us here / Where the fuck is Matt Lauer at? Somebody get Katie Couric in here / Probably scared of all the refugees, look like we had a fuckin’ hurricane here.”
The tape had a huge critical reception, earning him the title of Spin rapper of the year, a diamond certification from the Datpiff mixtape site and a spot in XXL’ s 2014 freshman class. Labels came clambering to sign Bennett, but he turned them down, feeling it was more important he enjoy artistic freedom than a fat paycheck.
“ I’ ve got to really flex that unlimited capability of an independent artist,” he told Billboard.“ I can do whatever videos I want, I can play whatever shows I want, I can release when I want, talk how I want, freely, about any subject.”
Issue 1 YAUDIO Magazine