House of Pharaohs’ BlazeYL drops ‘Stop X4’

Kennington native BlazeYL hits us with smooth vibes on new track ‘Stop X4’.

‘Stop X4’ is just the latest in a slew of solo drops from the young South East London rapper. Although part of the House of Pharaohs collective, the group is very much a sum of its parts with each member doing their own thing individually. Blaze should be very recognisable to you as although he hasn’t been making music the longest, he has definitely made his presence known.

Linking up with frequent producer Honeywoodsix ‘Stop X4’ has an ABA structure. The first segment is very laid back and led with a keys melody before switching into a middle section which feels Travis Scott-esque and after this reverting back to the original melody. This structure makes the track interesting especially on first listen because it makes you have to think twice. I know for sure the first time I listened I grabbed my phone thinking the track was mad short and had gone into another, I was wrong though. But that ability to cause a reaction is important musically, nobody wants music that’s forgettable or has nothing notable about it.

Content-wise ‘Stop X4’ is quite funny but in a good way. The hook is essentially about Blaze navigating a relationship with a clingy girl. Whilst it may sound like a typical rap trope to have the female as clingy, it actually has him almost playing the villain as he knows he’s leading her on hence the clinginess. In fact, the whole track is essentially the thoughts of a man with a lothario’s mentality that has the confidence to back it up.

The visuals, shot and cut by RED, mirror the theme of the song and adds to the comic nature. It also mirrors the switch in the beat by breaking up the initial scene moving into a more playful segment. My favourite moment in the video is during this middle segment where the love interest comes outside, causing Blaze and everyone around him to scatter. The video boasts cameos from other HoP members as well as a strong performance from the smiliest man in the scene DAMNSHAQ.

It would be interesting to see what Blaze could do on a solo project and hopefully, that’s something we get from him in 2020. You can stream ‘Stop X4’ here.