This is a very important time in the history of hip-hop. Everything that rock n’ roll had become by the time the 1980’s rolled around is now being absorbed by this genre’s establishment, and whilst excess has always been the greatest downfall of any aesthetic in the pop spectrum, it’s being utilized with incredible efficiency in the new single and music video “CEO Flow” from Frank Hugo. Running a mere three minutes in total length, this song and its video are made to grab your attention and showcase a vocal as sharp as they come, and for my taste they hit the spot in all the right ways.

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The lead vocal in this song is intentionally isolated away from the instrumentation as if to create some forced distance from the jump, and while this kind of a concept doesn’t work very well in melodic rap, it suits the hard-hitting style of this piece brilliantly. It’s important to develop some spacing when swagger is the main centerpiece of your song, and I definitely don’t get the impression that this is something Frank Hugo had to be taught ahead of “CEO Flow” being penned and queued for recording.

Though the beat here isn’t in your face by any means, it’s got the strength to shape the verses even more than the organic vocal execution does by the midway point of the track. There’s a lot of girth to the groove simply because of how seamlessly integrated the bassline and the percussion are in “CEO Flow,” and I like that instead of making it murkier with a multilayered stylization, Hugo is letting the instrumentation naturally create a canvas atop which he can paint us any picture he wants. Some might call it old school, but I think it’s something contemporary rappers should try more often.

I really like the video’s straightforward demeanor and the fact it doesn’t sterilize itself of at least some familiarity that syncs up with the mainstream. There’s nothing worse than when an indie player deliberately tries to reject a commercial look purely for the reason of wanting to be a rebel, but this isn’t something Hugo is having a hard time with in “CEO Flow.” He’s truly being himself here, which is a lot more than I can say for some of the bigger names in hip-hop that I’ve had the chance to check out in the past few months.

Rap fans really can’t go wrong with what Frank Hugo is chopping up in his new single and music video “CEO Flow” this December, and although this is only his second official studio work since dropping his debut I think he’s demonstrating the kind of wit and wisdom that it takes to record a full-length album. This isn’t someone who appears content with the idea of being a feature for the rest of his career – he wants to be a marquee player, and he’s doing everything he can to earn the title the proper way in this performance.

John McCall