MP3: Wara From the NBHD – “Down Since Birth” (ft. and prod. by Conner Youngblood)

The Atlanta Rapper Releases Rock-Tinged Single With Singer/Multi-Instrumentalist Conner Youngblood

05.28.2015

Critical Praise for Wara From the NBHD:

“Wara recalls the 1990s of Wu-Tang Clan and the early 2000s of Pharrell Williams’s Neptunes and N.E.R.D.” – The New York Times

“Lyrically he comes across as both book and street smart and has the direct cadence of a great live performer.” – XXL

“Wara… has nearly bled mind, body and emotions dry in writing and scoring his audible biopic.” – Passion of the Weiss

“If the piano breakdowns and gloomy production are any indication of how soulful Wara gets with his music, we can’t wait to see more of him in time.” – Complex

“Wara has been holding it down for musically explorative hip-hop.” – HotNewHipHop

“The gloomy, minimalist production… is perfectly suited for a late-night ride through town.” – The FADER

“His hook and verses are on-point.” – MissInfo

“… the rawest shit you are going to hear for the rest of the year.” – Mass Appeal

“Wara’s a writer and a slick rapper, a talented producer who knows how to shape an album’s worth of songs into a world.” – Pitchfork

The Song:

Wara From the NBHD analyzes the evils of money and how it can effect a person’s life in “Down Since Birth,” a new loose single from the ATL via NYC artist. The song is produced by and features vocals from Dallas singer/multi-instrumentalist Conner Youngblood, who teamed up with Wara in an Atlanta studio earlier this year. “During the time period it was recorded I was going thru a lot financially and mentally, and I still am it’s just now I have a grasp on what it is that needs to really be taken care of,” Wara says. “It was hard for me to music at a certain point and this song really brought everything back to life full throttle.”

“Working with Conner for the first time was an experience because he’s a hardware producer,” Wara adds. “He doesn’t make any music technically on the computer, so once I explained where I wanted to go with with it we got straight to it.” Having featured both Wara and Conner as solo performers on their No Ceilings showcases in NYC, Pigeons and Planes stated that “sometimes it’s the most unexpected collaborations that turn out best,” adding that the single “brings their talents into a new context for a rock-tinged rap song full of surprises.” HotNewHipHop added onto that praise, saying “this track sees Wara honing his craft even further, coming up with something that sounds like nothing else out there right now.”

In Feburary, Wara From the NBHD released his If Guns Could Speak EP, a politically charged narrative that confronts black-on-black crime, fear, paranoia, and police brutality. The EP premiered via The FADER as a follow-up to Kidnapped, which garnered a 7.7 review from Pitchfork. As Wara told Creative Loafing Atlanta, “Art is supposed to be the thing that makes people uncomfortable, raises the questions; it’s supposed to be controversial.” If Guns Could Speak is “based [on] real life situations that I’ve personally faced with a firearm or simply just what you see and hear in neighborhoods across America. Every ghetto has its own language, its own sound, and for these times this EP reps that in its own way.”

Listen to “Down Since Birth”: https://soundcloud.com/warafromthenbhd/wara-from-the-nbhd-feat-conner-youngblood-down-since-birth

Please contact Michelle or Rory if interested in talking with Wara From the NBHD.

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The Background:

Wara From the NBHD might be ATL’s next rising star. The Brooklyn born, Atlanta-based rapper serves as an embodiment of both of the areas he grew up in. An artist with a unique ability to blend both cultures seamlessly with striking lyricism and impressive production. This sentiment is highlighted with Wara’s The Ill Street Blues, a mixtape garnering critical praise from notable outlets such as The FADER, Complex and XXL. The project portrays a dichotomy of the good and bad Wara has experienced in his life, notably personified by his son sitting next to a gun on the mixtapes cover.