Warren Wint is mainly known for dropping records that encompass various flows, quick-witted rhyme schemes, and complex punchlines. Moreover, fans tune in on multiple occasions because he exemplifies the qualities of a living rap legend. Case in point, Wint’s project Father’s Favorite attests to his lyrical and artistic abilities. The themes found on his latest album explore previous life experiences, racism, and love’s truer meaning.
Sonically, Father’s Favorite carries a golden 2000’s aesthetic. Likewise, the 11-track album gains inspiration from soul, jazz, pop, R&B, and hip-hop. Throughout the project, we find Wint in a reflective state. His cadence crosses between laid-back, commanding, and melodic. The album is nothing short of features. It contains verses from Nathaniel The Great, BTW, Devo D, and DNA.
But overall, he gets to the point while voicing opinions and what real moments consisted of. Time and time again, the artist symbolically shows that he deserves an abundance of flowers. Listeners get a feel of what work went into his come up and how he takes the good with the bad. Not to mention, Wint speaks briefly on racial profiling.
One standout track that I’ll be discussing is “L.I.O.N.”
“L.I.O.N” is a soul-embedded, sweet vocal-led offering that finds Wint thinking back on the course life once took while he was blowing up. It goes to show that he worked against the grain, and in turn, became successful.
He continues,
“This is a hustlers anthem in the way that we can feel the grit of an ambitious lifestyle. Highlights of fear, comradery, and lurking danger reflect sonically and visually.”
At the beginning of “L.I.O.N,” he speaks about being sugarcoated the truth by school teachers and society. Then, Wint begins following the guide of Him, who ends up leading him onto the right path.
“I brush that dirt off my shoulders and move how father planned it/The Lord’s blessings kept me out of dodge and off them scanners.”
Though he’s come across opps and other trying situations, Wint gives it to God. As the song continues, the artist recalls days when he was incarcerated. Once he was released, his perspective on life did a 360. He began to put his focus into effect and came out with plans of domination. Even when Wint keeps his composure, he won’t hesitate to put a hater in their rightful place.
He spits,
“If my tire caught a flat, I was walking the rest/And every time I seen them lights, I be thinking arrests/I was taught we were less but yet we treated like threat/But I’m taking all shots if they bringing out tecs nigga it’s me!“
In the second verse, Wint touches on police brutality, urging others to keep an emergency hatch on standby. After, the emcee expresses what he’d like to change in the world, saying, “I wish I could take it back/To when the real was real, the fake is fake, we made no mistakes.”
This new generation seemingly exudes more sneers than applause. If we truly saw the change we seek, there’d be fewer innocent individuals locked up and, most likely, zero violence.
One notable line goes
“Every other year, one of my partners is upstate/Early morning updates, heard they pushing up dates/Now we got a president, that be fuckin up states/Nowadays they think it’s cool, that you sign, what you state/But that star, on ya badge, couldn’t make, my space.“
The visual shows Wint spitting these truthfully hard bars while at the corner store with his peers and on stairs to the congregation. From start to finish, we get a peek of his neighborhood.
New York native Warren Wint is well recognized in the hip-hop community. He has gotten co-signs from major placements like XXL, Hot 97, The Source, Billboard, Noisey, and VH1, among others, due to his authentic presence to the pen and pad. He released his debut album, Quietaskept in 2018, and has since worked with a slew of top-tier musicians.
