Eyedeal Bayano, a DMV-born Panamanian-American artist, proudly carries the legacy of his family’s journey from Panama to the U.S. Blending Afro-Latino roots with bilingual flows, he uses his music to tell vivid stories inspired by both suburban Maryland and his deep connection to Panamanian culture. Through songs like “Around the Way Anthem” and “Dale Dale,” he captures the essence of these worlds — and he keeps the success train running solidly on his latest single, “Trabajo” — keep reading for my thoughts!
From start to finish, this song is a relaxing journey through the sounds of 90s boom bap and 00s hip-hop; the sound design catches your attention from there very start of the track. As the brasses announce themselves amidst a whole load of atmosphere, there’s an unmistakable energy to this track right from the outset. Bayano brings the finest of his sampling work to the fore on this track, and it shows. The sampling work blends seamlessly into the rest of the percussion and the basses keep things beautifully grounded.
When the vocals do enter on “Trabajo”, Bayano wastes no time settling into a rhyme and rhythm; held together by the sing in the drum beat and the deep basses, his vocals style is direct and powerful. He maintains this emotive character to his storytelling that’s par excellence — and as we journey on over the course of the track, the storytelling aspect of “Trabajo” shines through more and more brilliantly.
The mixing and mastering on “Trabajo” is tight, very well-controlled, and keeps all the instruments focused to the listener, while keeping the vocals front and center, as should be with a good hip-hop track. This is a mix that gets the fundamentals overwhelmingly right, and there’s a ton of atmosphere to turn this into an expansive, energetic listen.
All in all, “Trabajo”, by Eyedeal Bayano — a listen that’ll get you moving and grooving with the beats and the smooth, effortless rapping. A winner of a track! Check it out here:
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