Lil Ink – “Back Then”
Lil Ink – “Back Then” – Music Video Release/Review
You. Are. Welcome.
We’ve had some decent starts to the weeks here at our pages over the years, but Lil Ink is ensuring we’re having one of the best Mondays in our history with a brilliant single/video combo for his song “Back Then” from his album Inkytunes III. If you had a chance to check out the last episode of the SBS Podcast, you already heard plenty of my thoughts on the music of Lil Ink before we played “Back Then” on the show – not the least of which was commenting on his young age of seventeen and sounding like he’s been writing & performing longer than I’ve been alive. Absolutely remarkable I tell ya – I was completely impressed with my first impression of what Lil Ink brings to the game, and how he was able to transition between styles so organically with a professional approach that is well beyond his years.
When I was ranting about Lil Ink on the SBS Podcast…well…that’s exactly what I was doing. Listening to this single, watching the video, checking out all the other stuff he’s already accomplished by the age of seventeen, including two other records Inkytunes I & Inkytunes II – my head was literally spinning and my tongue was just doing its level best to keep up with my thoughts. As I mentioned on the show, when you hear the amount of versatility & talent at work here, knowing that Lil Ink is self-producing and essentially doing everything from the ground up on his OWN at SEVENTEEN…it’s honestly staggering to think about the fact that, if he’s already this damn good, then where on earth does he go from here? The possibilities for this guy’s future are 100% limitless…I’d absolutely bet on Lil Ink to go the distance.
Those of you out there that read our pages regularly or tune-in to our shows know I don’t spend my time needlessly pumping people’s tires…I just tell ya like it is. I’m ecstatic for Lil Ink on an artist-to-artist level – you can’t help but listen to a song as well constructed & executed as “Back Then” and not draw to the conclusion that he’s got all the talent required to make music that’ll truly make an impact on ya. Right from the very drop, you can hear there’s sincerity in the mix – and the way that “Back Then” expands and blossoms from there not only supplies the perfect backbone beat for Lil Ink to work his magic, but LISTEN to just how much innovation is happening in the background and what’s actually creating the sound you hear. I have half a mind to believe that more than half of this song is actually made entirely of vocals, if not perhaps even more; Lil Ink has really put in the work into the details and created uniqueness you can’t possibly miss. The first time he hits the falsetto high notes? GOOD GAME. It’s the audio-equivalent of the Mike Tyson punch…it’s the knockout X-factor on display, and believe it or not, Lil Ink will give you about twenty more reasons as to why “Back Then” will stand out from there on! Like, he’ll find a whole other set of massive hooks you won’t even see coming as the song progresses past the slick flow of the verse & chorus – all of a sudden you realize just how capable this artist really is. But it’s not JUST about being a great singer, which he clearly is – it’s also about having that ultra-rare combination of a voice with tone & expression that we truly WANT to hear and the insightful lyricism that comes with it…and that’s really what Lil Ink has going for him – personally, I think he’s got one of the most impressive voices out there in the scene right now, and I’ve barely scratched the surface of what he’s got out there online. Suffice it to say, if the quality of what he’s put into “Back Then” is any indication of what he’s all about as an artist, then he’s made me an authentic fan for LIFE with the performance he’s put into this single…I couldn’t possibly be more stoked about what I see & hear from Lil Ink. The video animated by Brittany Campbell was like the visual cherry on top; obviously I can’t hide my love of anything that remotely resembles a cartoon…it just makes me wanna grab my cereal bowl and sit down for a marathon of watching…but beyond my usual adoration for animation, I think she’s done an exceptional job of bringing a style to the screen that perfectly complements the entire vibe. I love watching it, I love hearing it, I love listening to it surge into the finale after being so thoroughly entertaining from the very get-go, and witnessing “Back Then” finish even stronger than it started. I obviously even love TALKING about this song…and you know you can take every word I say straight to the bank and cash it – Lil Ink is absolutely going places with his career and all the proof you could possibly need to know that’s 100% true is packed right into the magic you’ll find in every second of this single & video. Extremely well done from beginning to end – you need Lil Ink on your radar & playlists.
Find out more about Lil Ink from his official page at Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/inkytunes
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