Student 1 - “Early Tyler Caves”

SXSW 2020 - OEB Score: 8; Popularity Index: 5

Pairs Well With…Earl Sweatshirt, P.O.S., Oddisee

Lyrically dense and musically complex, Student 1’s rhymes are the kind of storytelling that demands repeat listens to digest not only his words, but also the unique way he raps around his beats. Performing over classic hip hop beats and more modern, bass-reverberating indie rap rhythms, Student 1 finds tasteful and fluid music to consistently work around. That said, the Minnesota-based rapper puts his vocals out front, filling every measure with lyrical bars and incorporating both traditional rhymes and internal schemes that show a mastery of rap art-forms even though he debuted only four years back. Since then, Student 1 has prolifically released singles and EPs in addition to 2019 full-length Upprclssmn, a record that introduces some pop-trap forms to his ever-growing catalog. Dipping into weirder psych rap modes too, Student 1 displays he’s as much an explorer as he is a hip hop perfectionist, succeeding best when those techniques flow together like on Upprclssmn track “Most” or more recent single “Early Tyler Caves”. Student 1 has performed a few quarantine sets and check-ins the past couple of weeks, so keep an eye out for more and imaginably he’s writing as well - don’t be surprised for an explosion of output once we break on through to the other side this year. (Kevin McStravick)