Started Off Poor drops a well-awaited track. A blast from the past is the new Started off Poor and Vedang banger. Crossing every metaphorical “Naaka” in trap music with their new single. The fact that this track was recorded in 2019 shows the revolution Started Off Poor and Vedang were envisioning has now come to the fore.

The track combines conscious lyricism with autotune and a drums-based trap sound. Naaka is a story of perseverance and barriers that ultimately form when you undertake a journey of honing your art. Started Off Poor talks about how hip-hop is an art form that paradoxically gives you the push you need out of bed every morning but still fails to provide you with the means to own a home. He adds elements of his lifestyle to the lyricism in the song and explores the emotions of disappointment,  desire, duality and hopefulness.

“Bojh Zimmedari ka, na daana paani mere pet mein subah se”

The hook of the track is complimentary to the unique flow Started Off Poor has adopted in the track. The delivery is laidback with heavy rhythmic slang which is a staple feature of Maharashtrian Hip Hop. The slang and lyricism sound extremely fresh even though it is highly derivative of the original Mumbai sound. The production by Vedang adds to the soundscape created and refined the song to give it a lot more nuanced freshness. SOP talks about the hip hop he wants to produce right there and yet unnoticed because as the industry progresses, the prevalent sound becomes stale. Subconsciously, it feels like he wants to change the template and introduce experimentalism to the traditional DHH sound. His references to duality show the changing landscape when it comes to combative rhymes.

The duality in the track refers to the two sides shown in minute details from how within the community there are differences in artistic values and commercial goals. The second verse signifies the hunger and the different responses that people have to success. He talks about how success turns your own people into strangers. The track has an experimentally unique sound and stands out as an amazing bopper.

Vedang brings heat to the boombox

Vedang plays with the drums and uses a very low-volume melody as the underlying harmony to give it a trap sound. Vedang has shown his versatility and ability to work with various types of flows. This track is an example of how he can switch from hard-hitting beats like “Uddhat” to a trap flow. The fact that he made this beat back in 2019 makes it even more impressive. The mixing by Fatboiraccoon is top-notch and increases the production quality of this stellar track.

Listen to Naaka here: