Outlaw the Artist Builds a Darker World on 'Villains Never Die' [Premiere]
Just in time for Halloween, Los Angeles-based rapper Outlaw the Artist is releasing his latest project Villains Never Die in what seems to be an ominous tribute to the proverbial bad guy. As the second chapter in his "Villains trilogy", Villains Never Die takes a much darker turn sonically than the previously released Anti-Villain.
Outlaw was born in the Bronx, NY but grew up in East London. He often mentions his feeling of being an other. To people in London, he's an American. To people in New York, he's British. This is a common feeling for immigrants and people of color in America. Outlaw wanted to channel this feeling of otherness into Villains Never Die. Everybody is always exploring the concept behind being a hero but when you're constantly treated like an outcast, it's more natural to feel like a villain.
Describing the feel of the project, Outlaw shared, “Bond villain-esque, Malcolm Flex (whatever that means), mildly philosophically & Intellectually challenging content.. with beats that SLAP.” He connected with the likes of Kaelin Ellis, Kion, The Ninetys, and others on the production side as well as VenessaMichaels, KhaliSol, SAARA, and others for features. Previously released songs "DRiP" and "Most Days" served as world builders and gave us a small preview of what Villains Never Die would sound like. Now that it's here, it's easy to see that Outlaw made this album with intention.
The scowl-inducing and haunting crawl of the production on "Bad Guy" to open the project drops you off in the opening scene of a horror movie where you're the only black person. From here, Outlaw blends grime cadences with American trap beats into a euphony that makes him stand out as a unique emerging voice in rap. Even as he raps over more downtempo beats like on "IDRK" and "Vices," you still feel like you're existing in the same world that he's created.
As another solid entry into the "Villain trilogy" canon, Villains Never Die is sure to bring new fans into Outlaw the Artist's world. Listen for yourself and stream the premiere below.