Fat Trel - Where I Go

21-year-old Fat Trel is one of the best young rappers out today. Trel’s material is firmly in the mould of new gangsta rap stars like Chicago’s Chief Keef but his setting and style is really quite distinct from many of his contemporaries. A native of the grossly under-represented Washington D.C., Fat Trel honed his craft rapping outside clubs at closing time backed by DIY speakers playing from his car before hitting open mic nights and finally gaining an official co-sign by his city’s biggest rapper to date Wale.

This professional upbringing shows through as much as his impoverished childhood does in his music, and his raw, concrete tales are delivered in a syllabic style full of detail and drama. Fat Trel’s first big-time mixtape ‘Nightmare on E Street’ came out earlier this year with anticipation at a near-fever pitch after several delays but didn’t quite live up to the hype. It felt sluggish, with the middle portion falling into limp ballads with unnecessary guests that didn’t really show the best of his undeniable talent. His new single Where I Go is Fat Trel at his sharp best, bounding along to a great beat from Sledgren, and serves as a welcome re-alignment towards old fans and a great introduction for new ones.