This one grabbed me because of its bluntness–and the smooth instrumental. It’s one of those songs that sounds a bit like Nas meets Big KRIT (which is a helluva combination, if I do say so myself) but still manages to be its own thing. Dustan isn’t trying to be anyone but himsefl and that’s what makes this one so poignant. He’s giving listeners keys for a better existence while reflecting on his own humanity. That sort of reflection, you usually only see in older artists. This is the third song off Dustan’s Boy To The Man album, which dropped in late-October 2022. Unlike the Drake turning of this phrase, this one’s a lot more introspective, personal and just overall more lyrical.

Aside from “God & Myself,” I really like “Mom and Pops” as well as the outro, “Summer Leaves.” Those are the three tracks I deem must-listens on this project, even though the whole project should be digested as well. Again, it’s one of those projects that feels like it should’ve been dropped by an older artist (that’s how good it is, in my opinion).

It peers deeply into familial dysfunction–a topic which I, unfortunately, know all too well. The album’s question goes a bit like “what happens when the person who hates you the most happens to be your own dad?” I’ve wondered that myself, since my father was, as I’ve mentioned several times, a POS. I think, for me, that hatred fueled me to realize something. I was like him in some, but wouldn’t let that make me become him. I strived to be my own man, my own version of what I think a father should be, and my own version of what I think a partner should be. I think I’ve done pretty damn good for myself. Dustan, all things considered, seems to have done pretty well, too. He’s here to talk about his story and he’s grown because of it.

Check out BTTM above and do the thing: support dope music in all its forms.