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With the most relationship-y of holidays just a heartbeat away, it’s a fun piece of timing that we get to help premiere a new track that has a lot of those vibes baked in: a longtime partnership, a conscious uncoupling and an intentionally creative rekindling.
The professional pairing at the center of that journey (which, for the record, seems to contain very little drama) is GetMoses and Mad Static — two old friends and residents of Milwaukee’s hip-hop scene. They were also collaborators in the midst of, as they put it, “a lengthy hiatus” that was due to end.
Aware of how easy it is to fall back into old patterns, they decided to toss some spice into their team-up by actively trying not to sound like they had before. One of the first products to emerge from the reinvigorated approach is “Steppers,” a track laced with electronic elements you wouldn’t have found on the duo’s previous collabs and a tone-setter for What You Like, the new EP coming out this Friday.
The single feels innovative from the start thanks to a loop that weaves some of those electronic elements in and out of a guitar lick before Mad Static steps in with celebratory lyrics delivered with punctuated confidence:
I guess I got my swagger back
If this is what life’s like, then I’m after that
Dressed fresh and I’m here to impress
Confidence on a thou’, check the evidence
Solo, dolo, that’s how I roll though
Everything’s a blur as I move in slow-mo
Million-dollar smile, say cheese for the photo
A night to remember, in case you ain’t know though
GetMoses and Mad Static noted that the new music didn’t come easy, but “late nights banging on drum machines, countless studio writing sessions, and a dimly lit vocal booth turned this record and the entirety of What You Like into something magical.”
You can listen to “Steppers” using the player on this page and catch it on 88Nine all day (7:30 and 11:30 a.m.; 3:30, 7:30 and 10:30 p.m.). What You Like drops on Valentine’s Day as part of Higher Education Records’ “4 For February” release series that also includes RealityTV's What Is Reality EP (out now), Diallo x GetMoses' Half Won't Do EP (Feb. 21) and GetMoses' Let Go...There Is No Tomorrow EP (Feb. 28).
