Akron, OH-based rapper Floco Torres is gearing up to release his latest EP again on July 7, 2017 and today he drops a new song called “Nobody Knows.” It is one of the eight songs to be included on the self-released extended play. It features a sample of a song of the same name, as recorded by Pastor T.L. Barret & the Youth For Christ Choir – an obscure gospel group from Chicago’s Southside.
“All I remember is (Shorty) Slim heard the original somewhere and went straight upstairs to the studio,” said Torres. “I was downstairs at a show and when I came up, he had the beat basically done.”
Torres expertly utilizes the already-abundant potential of the sample. The emcee deftly dips in and around the crescendo of voices that repeat the titular refrain of “…nobody knows,” the second word drawn out by the chorus of young, talented and soulful voices. His laid-back but compelling delivery gives an anthemic quality to the vintage backing track. Torres adds positive vibes, opening the song by directly addressing his ability to inspire through music: “Before I had hope / Before I could believe / That I could change the world / With a lyric and a beat.”
“Nobody Knows” was originally intended to be a snippet for the trailer for Barry, a 2016 Barack Obama biopic released by Netflix. “I saw that Adam Manabach wrote the film and I did a show with him some years back,” Torres said. “I thought it’d be a cool connection. It was only one chopped up verse for a while (to fit the trailer) but it eventually morphed into a while song that drove the vibe of the whole EP.”
The song is produced by Shawty Slim, who is known for his work as the touring DJ for B.o.B. Of culling the sample for this powerful track. The upcoming EP again is appropriately titled; despite his fresh face and up-and-coming status, Torres has been behind an impressive 21 releases over his career.
Leave a Comment