Iamsu—the 25-year-old rapper and producer who won over the Bay in the early '10s and spent the last couple years creating loyal fans with shows across the West—has announced a new tape, called Eyes on Me. Out on February 24th, it also features Jay Ant, Tyga, and P-Lo, and will precede a tour of the same name, which kicks off in LA on March 26th.
The tape's title is "a self-empowering statement," Su told The FADER. "It's a time for me to define myself as an artist and solidify my spot in music. I've had some amazing high moments and some moments that made me want to give it all up. But it's a test of my drive and I'm ready. I'm experimenting with different styles and different flow on this project, expanding as far as production."
Best known for slappers, he's also always released an equal amount of introspective serious shit, though he's caught less attention for those. We're lucky that this hasn't made him any less enthusiastic to grow. Can't stop and I can't hate, he says on "Nothing Less," a new one from Eyes on Me that was produced by DJ Mustard. "I wanted to say something big on that song, like [declare] a standard of excellence. The youth need to dream." He sounds like Kanye; he's out here engaging kids like J. Cole. Maybe I'm just a dreamer too, but here's hoping Su's good work means he one day hits the creative benchmarks and sales numbers we applaud those other guys for.
