Why Essibee’s “Reignited” Is a Win for Real Hip-Hop
Hip-hop is one genre that many things it easy, but tell you what? Many fail to even flow nicely on beats. Then to talk of giving us a rap that will get us nodding and even mimicking their style. But worry not, I’ve got something beautiful for you. So if you are tired of rappers who sound like they are reading off a grocery list, you need to check out Essibee. This guy is coming straight out of Leeds, England, and he is bringing back that raw, 90s boom bap energy that most people seem to have forgotten. His new single, “Reignited,” dropped on February 1st, and it is a total punch in the face in the best way possible.
Essibee isn’t playing around with fancy studio tricks. One of the coolest things about this track is that he records everything in one take. No cutting, no pasting, no hiding behind autotune. If he messes up a word, he just starts over from the very beginning. You can really hear that grit in the final version. It feels like he is standing right in front of you, just letting it fly.
The song itself is all about a comeback. The story is pretty heavy—it’s about being pushed down until you feel totally worthless and then finding the fire to rise back up. This many of us face, the grind, the disappointment and the hopelessness that comes with, yet you find that spark that just ignites the fire in you. I love how he uses this metaphor of rising from the ashes, and with the beat provided by Tripplezbeats, it feels massive. You can definitely hear the influence of legends like Cypress Hill and Method Man, but Essibee has a voice that is all his own.
He worked with Law-Ro on the production to make sure the finished product stayed true to that heart-on-your-sleeve vibe. It’s got that classic 90s rap feel where the lyrics actually mean something. Essibee says his late mother and even angel numbers like 3:33 guide his journey, and you can feel that spiritual, determined energy throughout the whole track.
After his last song “Drips” dealt with some dark stuff like addiction and bad breakups, “Reignited” feels like the moment he finally caught his second wind. It is loud, it is honest, and it proves that real hip-hop is alive and well in Leeds. If you want to hear someone who actually cares about the craft of rapping, give this one a listen. It’s basically a masterclass in how to turn a bad situation into a great song.
Enjoy More From Essibee here;
English