Sometimes underrated can be overused. Better meant to express talent not yet receiving the love deserved, artists and their friends tend to label themselves as such simply because they’re not famous yet. But once in a while, an artist gives the world something so uniquely vibrant and unmistakably quality that it seems impossible they’re not already selling out stadiums and instead are on the verge of eclipsing the thousand mark on SoundCloud.

 

Let us introduce Dayo Gold whose frequent J. Cole references are well-placed. 

 

Just maybe at the threshold of his own Lights Please moment, the Cincinnati rapper is getting a well-earned social media push for his potently lyrical Neighbors freestyle. That freestyle and accompanying video are poetic and organically laid-back enough to actually make their way into Cole’s hands whose own approach to music share the common traits. 

 

But it’s not just the freestyle. A string of 2018 releases including The Love EP and collecting most recently in what is his most professionally-produced and flawlessly executed track yet, Came Up, have placed him in a position primed to explode onto the currently underrepresented lyrically-dominant spectrum of hip-hop.

 

But, Came Up is more than just an exhibition of his rap ability. It’s also a firm display of his ability to put together the kind of required hip-hop single that draws in a wide breadth of audiences looking for lyricism and delivery, motivation and storytelling, production and modern quality. 

 

He’s got the beginnings of a viral introduction, he’s got the hit single, and he’s got a deep and recent collection of music for his newfound fans to explore. All our cards are on the table that this won’t be the last we hear from Dayo Gold. 

 

Big thank you to fellow underrated Cincinnati artist, Leo Pastel for leading us here.