Editor’s Note: “Boston Thriving” is a new series from Vanyaland highlighting and honoring the national and global success of Boston- and New England-based bands and artists.
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Boston hip-hop keeps providing the soundtrack to pop culture in 2021, and last week, Luke Bar$ and Billy Dean Thomas proudly led the pack.
On Friday (October 29), Luke Bar$ dropped a collaboration with REASON, Wale, Benny The Butcher, and Adé titled “Not for Me.” The Brockton rapper usually claims center stage as a solo artist or as a member of Van Buren Records, but Bar$ instead took a seat behind the console to help produce this new track from REASON’s new EP No More, No Less: Demo 1.
Billy Dean Thomas doubled down on Boston representation last week, too; the emcee confirmed that their song “We All Go Up” appears in Peacock’s new series One of Us Is Lying *and* the ABC show Queens. The tune soundtracks Season 1, Episode 8 of One of Us Is Lying, and appears again during a tense scene starring Brandy and Cam’ron in Season 1, Episode 2 of Queens. The tune came together in just 24 hours with producer and engineer Oliver Cho, Thomas explained on Instagram.
“This is one of the most important and symbolic moments of my life,” they wrote, reflecting on their placement in Queens. “Being featured on a show that highlights the legendary black women of hip hop & r&b is unreal!!!.. The fact that my song was selected amongst these other iconic hip hop songs with artists that I admire and have come before me is unreal. The validation of the universe right now is freaking me out. Blessed is an understatement. My dreams are coming true!”
Both new bangers represent Boston hip-hop’s ever-expanding national footprint — or better yet, the genre’s national demand.
Check out “Not for Me” and “We All Go Up” below.