Philadelphia Emcee Arteem is Taking The Rap Congregation to Church.
Arteem’s new song Priest 2 elevates the lyrical landscape.
Rap was and will always be centered on wordplay and skillful bars and for rapper Arteem painting a picture with his words reflects his commitment to the craft. His newest record, “Priest 2”, picks up where he left off, showcasing his ability to describe the world around him and also honouring his love for wordplay and thoughtfulness.
The opening lines set the stage for the show. One part platitudes, the other part bravado, Arteem skillfully delivers a barrage of bars that inform and warn would-be rappers that he’s nothing to play with.
Take for instance this couplet he gives us at 0:37: where he says,
“For opposition I’m better prepared,
What I’m under is bone crushing, but I still never said I was scared.
My actions gotta talk for the hearing impaired,
You disable yourself when you living in fear.
Why put God’s will in a chair?
The wise keep still and prepare as if they got a million airs.”
Short but precise, Priest welcomes rap fans to church, reminding them why believing in the power of words reigns supreme over all and also why we used to consider rap a gift from God.