Raised by a single mother in Baltimore, Maryland, rapper Flow Simpson was heavily influenced by his mother’s tastes in music which included some of the greats like Biggie and Jay-Z. Always staying busy as a child, something that his mother encouraged when he was young, he was able to stay away from trouble as a lot of his peers were exposed to a world fraught with negative influences. Flow Simpson always aimed to follow in his family’s footsteps and when reflecting back “[he] was very blessed to have the upbringing [he] had.”
Currently living in Tempe, AZ, the 26-year-old rapper linked with Arizona-based media group Four 80 to create the visuals for one of his newest songs Been The Wave. Rapping over an old-school boom-bap style instrumental, Flow Simpson spits his way through over four minutes of material, weaving incredible portraits with his words as he walks through the Arizona street art scene. A longer track, he gives the directors and editors over at Four 80 plenty of time to show their talents as they put the brightly colored graffiti as the central background. Capturing the audiences attention from start to finish, the visuals for this song are minimalistic, but perfectly executed.
With expert cuts and edits, the song as a whole is elevated to a new level. Opting for a simpler wardrobe for the video shoot, he shows that he does not need a lot of flash to show his skills when making music. Wearing a plain-white shirt with a pair of Lifted shorts, he puts the focus on his music and words rather than distract his audience from the message of the song with a price tag. His laid-back style of rapping matches the energy of the video perfectly as the colors of the street art and the edits from Four 80 really pop off of the screen. Pulling viewers into the vibes coming from Arizona, Flow Simpson is on the come up.
Aiming to be the wave, rather than ride on something that someone else has created, Flow Simpson brings a refreshing quality to the table. Drawing inspiration from those who built their own brands, he holds originality high above anything else when creating new music. Actively pushing himself to get outside of his comfort zone to create new sounds, “[his] recording style is very simple which allows [him] to put out as much content as [he] can.” Carving out a path of his own out of the underground, he strives to be his own person and “show other people they can do it too.”
Be sure to check out the new music video from Flow Simpson and Four 80, as well as all the new music he puts out! Stay tuned for a full-length interview with him coming very soon!