The King is Dead, Long Live the K.I.N.G
― “Death of The King” by Speed on the Beat
So, as you may’ve heard/seen around these parts, the title track from DOTK dropped last week to, surprisingly, a bit of fanfare. Got a few features and got some new people to check it out, which is always a great thing (believe it or not, I’m pretty damn humble). I think this track is a true turning point in the narrative of Speed on the Beat, both as an artist and a person. It’s done away, for the most part, with the no-fi thing. I was able to power through a track without letting the heart thing bring me down (yay exercise and training). And I delivered what I feel is my best track, off the album or otherwise.
When the track was first conceived, the production featured a beat that was similar to a slowed-down version of “Chiraq,” which is funny for one reason. The beat I’d chosen was drafted back in 2011, so I guess I was somewhat ahead of my time. But, as I listened back to my recording over this beat, something didn’t feel right. Yes, it was a dope track, but production-wise, it lacked. I mean, on a song called “Death of The King,” you don’t want halfassed production. Taking cues from “Trophies,” and some Big K.R.I.T. (mainly the horns sounding triumphant as hell), I started pulling together the composition now known as the “DOTK” beat. Once that was done, I decided to trash the original verses I’d had on this song as well. I’m a perfectionist and I hate rehashing music just for the sake of time/energy.
By this time, we’re looking at mid-April ’14. Most of the album’s been recorded, minus some guest spots, and is in the process of being mixed down. I needed something to get people talking about the album again, since “Do Better” was released as a single more so to keep buzz going. A decent song, but it felt rushed sonically. It was still pretty rough around the edges. So, in the theme of “killing off the no-fi,” I dropped “DOTK” as the fourth single off the album. So far, as mentioned, it’s one of the best-received SOTB songs.
All it took was a couple years’ work being tossed aside for a creative burst and the urge to destroy previously held misconceptions about me.
It happens like that sometimes.
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