Georgia - Dende Feat. Deante’ Hitchcock
Artwork - Before We Crash (EP)
I wanna call a meeting with everybody saying RnB is dead.
Look, I get it… The music game‘s changed. People want fast money/fast fame, and RnB is the opposite of fast. It’s a slow burn, filled with passion, and I would think that the techniques used nowadays by artists to pump out songs/content can’t apply to this medium. Algorithms be damn'ed, you can’t force the passion baby.
“If she need my shoulder, she can cry on me, ridin’ round the city with her, bumpin’ Pimp C,”
Texas rapper/singer/producer/instrumentalist Dende released his project Before We Crash, on January 4th, and it seems like he’s set the underground scene on fire. 6 songs, drenched in romance, intimacy, and lust; a little under twenty minutes of Exhibit A evidence to anybody prosecuting the quality of the RnB talent today. Dende was the first one to strike in 2023, and just yesterday, the video debuted for his song with Deante’ Hitchcock, “Georgia,” produced by Billy Blunt.
I’ve fallen in love with a Georgia girl too, so I feel his pain on this one. From the jump, Dende details his Atlanta fling. “Rock designer, love the finer things,” with the “Docks on her feet, I just call ‘em the hard steppers,” and with even scenes set up outside of the legendary Magic City, this video is one of those movies that you only get from those independent music scenes in the south like Georgia, Tennessee, The Carolinas, and the production of the track fits the tone of the video. Billy Blunts utilizes his sonic arsenal to create a lush combination of RnB, Neo-Soul, and Hip-Hop that lays a foundation for not only Dende, but his cohort on this song, Deante’ Hitchcock.
Another argument I hear from the “RnB is dead” crowd is, “Where are the RnB/Hip-Hop collabs that actually meant something?” Use this song as Exhibit B. Now, Deante’ isn’t some scrub, but I can agree with the pitchfork-wielding crowd that usually RnB collabs with rappers nowadays fall flat, but with a combination of tone, cadence, and just downright bars, Deante’ carves a spot for himself. “When it comes to these features, I will not let you down,” he said on Instagram, and he wasn’t lying. It’s one of the better rap features I’ve heard on an RnB song that I can remember, and his addition to this song adds a duality that’s very much welcomed.
RnB isn’t dead. Y’all just aren’t looking.
