Forestville, Maryland rapper Goonew started making music just last year, but because of his innovative election to turn his raps down to a near-whisper, he's already become one of his region's most influential and sought-after artists. When he's at his best, Goonew's music sounds like it's out of a horror flick, as he describes the darker side of life in his section of the DMV, with daunting keys and kicks usually courtesy of producer Cheecho. "He one of the people I got the most chemistry with. I done made his beats in front of him while he rapping," the producer told us in September. "The shit just built from that. It was genuine."
Over the summer, Goonew released one of his best projects to date in Big 64, an ode to the apartment complex he grew up in and the most polished his whisper flow has sounded in his young career. Last month, he followed that with 12-track Goonrich Urkel which features DMV standouts like his frequent collaborator Lil Dude. "I was high, just thinking about some shit everybody will like. I use to watch that shit [Family Matters] back in the day," he said in an email conversation. "I know Urkel was a smart nigga so the overall message was to solidify that I'm a smart nigga, and I know I'm teaching niggas. I'm a student, teaching a class."
Read Next: Maryland rapper Goonew shot and killed at 24
Today, The FADER is premiering a video for featured song "Flip Phone," a refreshing switch to a fairly high-energy delivery from Goonew, in which fittingly he raps about getting money off of his cellular device. "I was sober when I made 'Flip Phone' so I was just going in. I think being sober gave me more energy. It's definitely one of my longer songs but everybody fuck with it." Watch the video above.
Thumbnail photo by Myles Avery Wright
