Len Bowen, Canadian hip-hop virtuoso, prepares for the upcoming album release with the single “Toast Up” featuring Tough Dumplin. Bowen specializes in delivering hard-hitting honest, unfiltered, raw lyrics in his discography, and “Toast Up” is no different. The glimpse into his upcoming LP speaks about facing fear instead of giving in to failure. Bowen admits through tight lyrics that he couldn’t let others’ judgment prevent him from achieving his life’s calling.
“I couldn’t walk away, couldn’t let it be
This one for everything they said he’d never be
To the pressure never caved in
What didn’t break ’em, made ’em
Look what y’all created”
As the best lyricists do, Bowen utilizes intelligent metaphors through his rhymes, comparing his successes and life’s goals to that of a basketball game.
“Courtside to the bleachers
Call him news at six they turning back to watch
Feel like Curry fourth chip he turning back the clock
Y’all know the cloth he cut from ain’t nothing fabricated
Bound for greatness every verse an affidavit”
Bowen said this song came from a birthplace of annoyance and frustration. A place many artists recognize as the limbo or waiting game they play throughout their careers.
“Toast Up was born out of the frustration of waiting for co-signs and recognition. This song is a soundtrack to kicking doors down, grabbing attention, and firm flag planting; the antithesis of music industry humility and politeness,” he said.
Tough Dumplin assisted him with dealing with his frustration and anger from the creative process, according to Bowen. Friend, collaborator, and producer Tough Dumplin knew firsthand what it felt like to endure the arduous limbo of the waiting associated with music, so he dreamt up a production track rivaling none other, and reaching into uncharted bounds, for “Toast Up.”
The sonic universe blooms with booming synth, introducing Tough Dumplin’s confident hook straight out of a cutthroat rap battle, “You all know what he about. How we goin out. Showed up unannounced. Mad they showing out. Ain’t asking we taking.”
Behind Bowen’s lyrics, percussive snare maintains the beat permitting the two rappers to launch listeners into their underdog stories. The duo blends Bowen’s candid vocals with Dumplin’s humor in “Toast Up.”
“Tough Dumplin created the perfect soundscape for this song and also contributed a humorous but edgy verse,” Bowen said.
As the NTHN4GRNTD album release date approaches on June 30, 2023, fans can indulge in two singles, “Toast Up” and “Oceans & Beaches (Oh My) (featuring Andrew O),” to immerse themselves in the epic soundscape and lyrics from the hip hop legend.
