Poet-turned-rapper 4KPHIL. sounds like a young Cole mixed with a bit of Wale’s more poetic musings for good measure. I’m not completely familiar with his music, though I did hear one song of his on a 2K game, NBA 2K22. He’s described as a “vibey emcee,” though I don’t think that tells the complete story. He’s also one helluva storyteller.

The song we’re discussing today, “Johnson & Johnson,” is a masterclass on how to be succinct when doing storytelling rap. That’s because the track itself doesn’t waste any of its short runtime on unnecessary elements. It’s under two minutes and I’m writing about it. Given my hesitation to write about short songs, that should tell you what you need to know about it. However, we’re not here for short copouts. Let’s dive deeper.

“Johnson” is a self-produced song that’s given its bite by horns throughout it. The production is reminiscent of something you’d hear some conscious boombap bars over. That said, it also feels like some street “I came up and now I’m here” braggy rap. And that split and eventual convergence of consciousness and regular everydayness? They come together here and they allow PHIL. to just cut the beat up with his flow and lyrics. By the end, you’re not left with a “that’s it?” sort of feel. Instead, and this is a rarity for me when it comes to shorter songs, you feel complete and want another one–not more of the first one.

How this man places so many stories into this short track, it’s nothing short of wondrous in my eyes. Add that to BARS and a beat that’s so smooth-but-aggressive and you’ve got one helluva debut on SOTB. Check out the song below and do that magical thing and support dope music in all its forms.