.png)
ON THE RISE
Like everyone on Earth in 2020, Regal Rapstar was affected by the coronavirus. Even when he tried to learn more about it through resources like the library, he couldn’t do that because it was closed. However, he put pen to paper to express how he felt about it with this song. And, as time went on, he was able to do the research he wanted to. Written throughout the course of the pandemic, the song is a diss track against the coronavirus and in 2024 - a victory anthem too.
The coronavirus shifted how we do anything and everything but in 2020 we had no idea what we were in for. Regal Rapstar said the feelings of uncertainty, frustration and urgency were the inspiration for the song. He shared he knew people that had caught the virus and has his suspicions that he likely caught it himself as well.
“I felt isolated from the world and the walls were closing in. I felt like a bull looking at a red flag. I was frustrated with the coronavirus and wanted to go heads up with it and beat it.”
He recalled how as a nation, we’d gone through other similar situations where we overcame a widespread virus. Hearing relatable music is something that draws listeners in every time and with Regal Rapstar speaking on this topic, everyone has but no choice to relate to it. It’s something everyone has a perspective on and has been affected by in one way or another.
“I wanted people to realize ‘We have a song about this and we beat it.’ I wanted people to realize we can inspire ourselves to keep on going.”
Regal Rapstar is a West Coast artist but doesn’t let that stop him from being diverse. With love for West Coast legends like Dr. Dre, he prides himself on his wide range of production skills. He has other songs with a strong West Coast vibe but this song is something different entirely. It’s an almost menacing sounding track with no regional ties sonically because the coronavirus affected everyone.
“I can do any style of hip-hop. I’m open to any style…It was not just about the West Coast. It was something that was happening to the whole country and the whole world.”
The footage we’ve all seen from cities on lockdown during the pandemic is practically dystopian and will be etched in our minds forever. Regal Rapstar compiled clips from various sources including films like Contagion for the music video for this track. Inspired by documentary directors like Michael Moore, he wanted the video’s footage to feel like a documentary itself.
Regal Rapstar has been rapping since he was 19 but he calls this release his “first professional step.” He’s kept up with how the music world has changed in real time and knows what he must do to keep up with the streaming era. This track was released through his own label called Regal Records/National Digital and he has plans to release more music in the future.
You can keep up with Regal Rapstar on the following platforms:
ON THE RISE
Clinton Brand III – better known as CBIII – is a California-based rapper. His new single, titled “I Won’t Quit,” is a motivational and relatable message for everyone “going through it.”
The track, with a beat by Tunna Beats, has a Blurry Face vibe. It starts with a violin and the soft “ahh”s of featured singer Alex Brinkley. When the beat drops, piano, bass and drums enter along with CBIII’s lyrical meditations on “overthinking, contemplating, and debating” why he “won’t quit.”
As the final line makes clear, the song is a study in contradictory mindsets. There’s the fear of failure – what if I’m not good enough? – and then the contrast of relentlessness as stated in the title.
The lyrics of the song’s final quattrain are especially strong. Beginning with an example of CBIII’s wordplay (phenomenal and astronomical anomaly), the final message is one of inspiration: I’m tired of this, so I’m going to make it better.
This struggle with nagging self-doubt and overthinking makes “I Won’t Quit” very relatable. In the end, CBIII wants listeners to be inspired, to not give in when they find themselves in similar circumstances.
Brand’s inspiration for “I Won’t Quit” was intensely personal. Following the death of his parents at a young age, he was raised by his grandmother and then was placed in foster care. A recent visit found his grandmother’s memory fading; this was painful, considering that she had once been his biggest supporter.
This episode left him feeling abandoned, in a dark place.
He says, “I wrote the song ‘I Won’t Quit’ because at that time I was suicidal. I didn’t have nobody else to turn to because my grandma didn’t really care anymore.”
The vulnerability expressed in the lyrics made CBIII unsure if he wanted to release the song at all. He says, “I actually sat on the song for like five months before even thinking about releasing it because it’s so close to home that I wasn’t even sure if I was going to have the courage to share it.”
Now that the song is out, its vulnerability is its strength. Brand’s struggle is real, and the general contours – missing family support, doubting yourself, knowing you need to persevere – will be familiar to many.
In addition to his personal desire to live up his dream of greatness, Brand has another reason not to give up: his younger brother, who is currently in foster care. Knowing his brother looks up to him, he wants to remind him that giving in to doubt is the easy way out.
Brand says, “I want to encourage him, to show him that if you set your mind to it, bro, there’s nothing you can’t do.”
In the end, CBIII wants listeners to learn from his pain, to ask themselves, “What if I don’t give up?”
Stream “I Won’t Quit” now, wherever you listen to music.
Instagram | YouTube | TikTok | Spotify | Apple Music
