El Prez - Phantoms of Opera

First things first: Phantoms of Opera, the latest Booth feature from Inglewood emcee El Prez, has nothing to do with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s similarly-named stage production - thankfully; saying that I’m not a big fan of musicals would be the understatement of the year - or the novel that inspired it. In fact, there’s no obvious connection to phantoms or opera, so the title is kind of beyond me. With that said, it is a damned catchy record. Kicked off with a Scrooge McDuck-sampling intro, the newly-leaked track sees producers School of Velocity serving up a simple yet addictive synth riff as Prez does the backstroke through his gold-filled swimming pool. He even preempts the “Why are you rapping about money when you’re not rich yet?” question, spitting, “People think it’s funny when I talk about high stakes and stuff, ‘cause I ain’t really been makin’ much/ That’s cool, I’m savin’ up.” Topped off with J7‘s laid-back hook vocals, PotH is a cut above your average paper-stacking track. Animal Style is set to drop this winter, and fans should watch for Prez to release his new single, King Kong (I’m Gone), in the near future.