Watzreal is a staple of modern Bay Area hip hop. Through his inspirational messaging and wisdom-filled lyricism, he’s garnered a fanbase of thousands over the years. After taking a near three-year break from music entirely, Watzreal returned at the end of 2020 with his viral single “Guarded”. Following this up with the empowering “Let Me Shine,” the MC has only continued to hype fans up for his next move. Today, he released a new track titled “Hopeful”. Being the third single in a run that seems only to get better, can this track be the underground titan’s best piece to date?
Off the rip, there’s a smooth but classy boom-bap instrumental created by That Kid Goran, which immediately creates the perfect backdrop for Watzreal to rap over. Watzreal’s presence shines even brighter than usual, as he comes in firing with a super intricate flow and well-thought-out rhyme scheme. From fighting with his inner self to looking around at our crumbling society, these ideas are thoroughly expressed and wrapped up in a unique way. The defining quality in this opening verse is Watz’s ability to change the pitch of his voice and heighten the power of his thought-provoking lyrics. Outside of a few corny punch lines, this is a near-perfect showing from the MC. After a catchy hook, the second verse takes a turn for the better as Real yet again switches up his flow and continues to reveal the truths within his mind. With even more emotion and proficient writing, the experience becomes even more immersive as listeners are able to feel the conflict within Watzreal. As the rest of the song goes, the third verse builds on the themes of the last, and the song ends nobly as Wat honors fallen legends such as MF DOOM and Ruth Bader Ginsburg while also dissing the disastrous year of 2020 as a whole. What a fun vibe and what an enjoyable three minutes.
After the successful release of “Hopeful,” Watzreal is now 3/3 on his single run. For three minutes, Watzreal takes you on a pain-numbing experience that will challenge your beliefs and cleanse your soul. At this point, the hype for Watzreal’s next album is at an all-time high!
Rating: 6.3/10
