.png){kind=small}
St. Louis underground R&B laced rapper Ryan Trey is finally back and up to his usual tricks of releasing hit after hit. For a while, things were quiet for the Interscope Records label mate as we didn’t have much to spin since his last EP LV Smoke which released back in August of 2019. But at long last, the talented Midwest phenom is back teasing tons of new music, highlighted by the release of the soulful and rhythmic single Rollin accompanied with stunning visuals from talented director bychild.
Often collaborating with superstar Bryson Tiller, a trap soul comparable, Trey almost mirrors Tiller at times in his sound and versatility from singing to rapping showing a lot of the same ‘through the roof’ potential Tiller showcased at the beginning of his career too. The pair even go as far as to share the same manager in Neil Dominique, a very successful, talented manager who also represents artists like Pardison Fontaine and Nia Sultana. Ryan has every reason as well as the undeniable talent to be one of the top artists in years to come.
From Ryan’s first major release, Mutual Butterflies, his thoughtful word play and voice makes it clear he’s not the type of guy who needs insane amounts of autotune, his natural talent speaks for itself, literally. Releasing his first full piece of work august, a heavily sexualized and emotionally influenced project, back in 2018 Trey shows a knack for experimenting with slow quiet beats intertwined with his melodic singing voice. Tracks off august like Break On Monday as well as Temptations really show off the young artist’s incredible versatility in delivery and dedication to the art he creates. Listening to Trey float back and forth from rapping to singing can paint a picture for listeners as pretty as a Picasso, bar after bar fitting together like puzzle pieces do.
In 2019, he released Nowhere to Run featuring Bryson Tiller, which opens with Ryan rapping and setting the pace for the rest of the song through a cool and calm tone that oozes confidence. The track then dips into Bryson’s middle section where he further explains seeing a girl and saying “That’s me” as if that’s his type he doesn’t care about “who’s hot who’s not”. The track is then nicely touched up and finished with Ryan displaying his lyricism with bars like “I keep the bottle on chill, Say that you new to this, I'm not you, baby, Tell them other n***as I rap too crazy, Ass made a n***a do six 180s”. Easily Ryan Trey’s biggest song to date, the song has over 18 million plays currently on Spotify alone.
However, the first we’re hearing from the young talent in 2020 is perhaps his best work to date. The track Rollin, dropping earlier this month (July 10th) showcases Ryan’s continuously developing talent of completely switching flows over a beat with a beautiful chorus and some crazy lines that will leave you thinking about much more than just the music.
He can switch from soft to hard in a matter of seconds, and have you going from swaying to head bopping all at the same time. He opens the chorus with “keep rolling back, you keep rolling back in my mind,” Ryan has a “back wood and cup to move all this time.” Easily as hypnotic as the track itself, and this almost peaceful up and down journey we’re taken on, are the visuals accompanied with it. Painting a vividly aesthetic picture of the ups and downs that come with love itself, in a video almost as colorful and pretty to watch as it is to listen to.
Make sure to check out Ryan Trey @ryantrey on Instagram and keep up with us @engmtcent for more from this talented St.Louis trap soul artist.