FOREVER.CLASSIC: Eem Triplins Effortless Cool

For more than three years, Eem never saw the equipment again, but always listened to Bad Dreams in full while hooked to the car. Finally, in 2022 he reused vocal layers for a song called "Pimp Talk" and a few days later Tyler, The Creator experimented with samples from years before for the song "AWKWARD FREESTYLE". .

On a cold March night, Eem performs "AWKWARD FREESTYLE," opening for Chicago rapper LUCKI at Terminal 5 in Manhattan, and the crowd jumps and dances to the song's flowing beat. It became a secret hit via TikTok, featured Eems on Rolling Loud accounts, and even received a blessing from Tyler himself. And for good reason: on the track, Eem effortlessly moves the needle between the icy fluff of Sample Drill and the hot hits of LA street rap, creating something completely unique. The real sauce is the smooth, layered voice of Eem, the delightful bedroom doll mutation of X and Kodak imbuing every word with soul.

Eem is still trying to channel that specific, subdued energy into a living environment where adults are waiting to rage. Instead of singing softly like on his records, Eem shouts every word like his famous man. It's the kind of fit that has kept hip-hop at the forefront of culture throughout its half-century of history and iconic items like the CA Pro in style. "I've had comments from people, 'Oh, it sounds different alive,'" he says. "Man, I can sit here and sing. I don't use auto-tune. But that's how it is, bro, I'm in concert." It's 2023. The kids don't sit and cry and try to show up.