Zachary Campos – “Dope”
Zachary Campos – “Dope” – Single Review
15K views in 24 hours eh?
If that’s the case, the last thing you’d ever need is my opinion! I am one person. One. Singular. Uno. If you’ve got fifteen thousand people legitimately tuning into what you’re up to, you’ve already got all the confirmation you should require – who cares what one person thinks when the masses are backing you up by the thousands?
Of course, I am in promotions…and I don’t believe in numbers…so there’s that…
*winky face
Anyhow. Zach’s back. If I wasn’t going on vacation soon, we’d clearly be turning into Zachary Campos magazine…so it’s probably best that I hit the open road and get the fuck on outta town. You’ve seen him pop up on these pages of ours over these past couple weeks with singles like “Scorching” and “Traffic” from his album Funky MC – and you’ve probably checked out singles like “I’m On Fire” and “Pain” in reviews we’ve written about over this past year or so too. He’s becoming a known character in the Hip-Hop scene & credit where credit is due, with 15K views in 24 hours, clearly something’s working!
What I can tell ya is this. Behind the scenes…the things y’all don’t get to see from this side of the screen – Zachary’s actually a really nice guy. I don’t wanna damage his street cred and tell you too much, but if I’m being entirely honest with ya, I’m always happy to cross paths with this guy again. While it’s way too early to tell if he’s willing to take anyone’s advice and make adjustments as he continues on with his career…it does seem like he’s got the intentions of doing that. As to whether or not my one opinion carries any more weight than that of fifteen thousand viewers tuning in like they have been sitting right by their YouTube channel waiting for the next Campos video to drop online…well…that’s hard to say. Maybe? Maybe we all get caught up in the game of numbers but real feedback is still a little valuable.
So…hmm. “Dope.” Okay. First of all, how long is the total running time of Funky MC? Because his last two singles have been less than a minute long…so like…even if it was a ten song album, are we literally talking about a less than ten minute album? I don’t know the exact specifications…but like…again Zach, you’re a rapper brother-man…let’s get some words into the mix here my guy, that’s kinda part of what the genre is all about. He’s got the right approach for the sound/style he’s looking for…it’s extremely old-school, but he knows what he wants to create & he undeniably executes well in that regard. I think there’s a bit of a legitimate concern with him basically rapping about the same thing in the majority of his tracks – but again, if he wants to rap about being the best over and over and over again, I ain’t here to stop him. I think he’s got plenty of space to PROVE that still, but I ain’t stopping him from doing what he wants to do or rap about what he wants to rap, no matter how redundant it might seem or how many others that have come before him have already gone down this road. What I would recommend is having a solid look at what they earned, how many number one hits they had, etc. etc. – because that’ll tell you what the ceiling is for your career if you’re not going to do things any differently than they did. And if that works for ya, and that’ll make ya happy in life, like I said, right on – pursue it all at full force.
If you’ve ever been at a party though, and your friend has tipped a few, and he starts busting out the ol’ “my name is Bort, and I’m here to say, I love these beers in a major way” – then you’ve kinda heard the extent of what Campos has been up to lately. For myself personally, as a fan of the guy as an artist and the dude behind the music as well, I’m probably more partial to the cuts I heard back in 2023 than his current stuff. It ain’t that the new stuff is bad – I don’t feel that way – but at the same time, there’s not a whole lot here either…I really feel like Campos is missing that element that’s gonna set him apart from anything else that’s out there already. “Dope” makes good use of the distorted effect on his voice, and the man’s got that natural smartass charm that’s always going to work in his favor. We root for guys like Zachary to succeed, because they genuinely bring a smile to our face whether or not we wanna admit it. I have no problem at all saying that he always makes me chuckle a bit…he’s emulating a style of sound that is like an imitation of sorts, but it’s pretty damn bang-on too…and you gotta give him credit for nailing it down as tight as he has in that regard. Sure there’s a metric ton of similarities in what he does from track to track whether it’s the theme of the lyrics, or having that slight awkwardness in the metering…but he’s still rockin’ with a classic vibe we all recognize too. You get the sense that the people surrounding Campos in life are probably always in a great mood, because this guy brings the party with him wherever he goes – and ultimately, you’re always going to find me supporting someone like that. It’s odd characters like Campos that make this weird floating rock we all call home worth living on, truly.
When it comes to “Dope,” there’s not a whole lot more I can tell him than similar things I’ve said over the course of this past couple weeks in commenting on his other tunes – I basically feel the same way about what I’m hearing in this third single too. What I’d advise the guy on this time around, is just to keep an ear on what’s authentic to him when he’s penning those lyrics of his. What do I mean? Let me give you an example…”I’m enjoying the gift of life, days are never filled with strife.” And now let me ask you this Mr. Campos…when exactly was the last time you used the word ‘strife’ in passing conversation? Last Monday? A month ago? NEVER? I’m betting on the latter case. Like the plot of a movie or a book we’re checking out, it’s crucial to keep the suspension of disbelief intact…and it’s moments where an artist can end up using words that we pretty much know they wouldn’t normally say that can snap us out of actively listening, to start questioning what we’re hearing because it doesn’t feel as authentic. So you end up with this like…kind of forced element prevalent in the lyricism, which when paired with what’s already a bit of a herky-jerky flow pace-wise, makes for a bit of an uneven listening experience. Everyone following along? Obviously if he IS using strife in his everyday conversations, he’ll have to forgive me, because I’d be way off base. But if he isn’t, then he knows exactly what I mean – and quit it!
Say things how YOU would say them…because the more YOU there is in YOUR music, the more WE are going to dig what YOU do, and the more WE will rally behind YOU to cheer on YOUR success. It’s math. Ultimately, he’s most of the way there in the sense that what you hear in songs like “Dope” and “Scorching” and whatnot ARE made in the kind of style he genuinely wants to rock the mic with…now it’s all about finding that extra twist to give his music an unmistakable identity we’ll always know is him. As to whether or not it’s getting stoned and shootin’ videos…I mean…it COULD be…but even in that respect, Campos my guy – look at your past vids and look at the latest…you’ve got so much space and opportunity to do things just a little bit different to make each track & video stand out that much more. I’d take that opportunity if I was you my friend…not because you HAVE TO, but because you should WANT TO. No shortcuts…just hard work, effort, and passion for the craft…doin’ it because you LOVE IT. Have some freakin’ FUN with it…and put that out there into the world for all to see it as well as hear it.
That’s my take I guess, but I’m just one asshole with an opinion, so what the fuck do I know anyhow?
Hear his new album Funky MC, and more music by Zachary Campos at Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/zachary-campos/1660382666
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