The Ones: Matt Muse’s “SHOTGUN” [ft. femdot.]

With artists releasing songs at a fast and furious pace it’s difficult for the average hip-hop head to keep track of it all—no matter how tapped in they are. That’s why we created The Ones, a daily post to highlight the song you need to hear curated by the Levels team. We sort through all the new songs—across all the platforms and subgenres—so you don’t have to. Thank us later.

Matt Muse - “SHOTGUN” [ft. femdot.]

The first iteration of Chicago rapper Matt Muse’s “Shotgun” is subtitled “[Philia],” the Greek word for the love shared in deep friendships, particularly those forged in war. On “Shotgun” and its new remix, Muse reminisces on bonds built in the trenches of adolescence and strengthened by shared rides in first cars. Though he’s now in his late twenties, he puts himself in his high-school sneakers and rides the jazzy, uptempo beat with pride, beaming as he describes carting his buddies to interviews, funerals, and court dates and offering his girl friends reprieve from cat-callers on the bus. While Muse raps of “doing hoodrat shit with my church-school friends,” fellow Chicagoan femdot.’s guest spot is more mischievous, with bars about sneaking out and lighting up. Their verses are linked by their reverence for the companions piled in their whips. “Sixteen with a car a different kind of free,” says femdot., aptly catching the rush of youth on wheels.

Check out previous Ones, and listen to new rap from Matt Muse and more on our Spotify playlist, Apple Music playlist, and SoundCloud playlist.

Originally Appeared on Pitchfork