The Next 17-Year-Old Rap Prodigy

Today I want to write about Token. He is an up and coming 17-year-old rap prodigy who captured my eye with a song called “Happiness.”

For a 17-year-old I was really impressed by the depth and content of the song. I also saw that he was co-signed by R.A. the Rugged Man, a rapper known for his capability for rapid-fire delivery. R.A. hosted a contest called “Definition of a Rap Flow” and has endorsed a couple of emcees that entered that contest including Token, AFRO and another young kid named Nathan Jarvis. All these emcees are highly skilled and have the ability to rap really fast. They also have clever word play and punch lines.

This makes me think of the difference between emcees and people that are good at making songs. Sometimes these two can come together but there is an art to both. Sometimes one can get lost in clever lyricism and not really get anything deep or meaningful from the lyrics. There is value in something simply sounding good but this can get old. I think of someone like Lupe Fiasco and his song “Dumb It Down” which expresses that he won’t dumb down his lyrics or make songs for certain demographics. The song sounds really good and has a lot of clever poetry and imagery. Lupe has also made hit singles which show his versatility as an emcee and artist. I also think of Logic who has dope lyricism and song making abilities.

I then think of someone like G-Eazy who has blown up pretty recently. He is not the most skilled emcee I’ve heard but he has the style, swagger, and production that make his music appealing. The flow is simple but elegant. I also think of someone like Snoop Dogg who probably can’t rap as fast as these young rappers I mentioned above but who has his own unique style that is a pleasure to listen to for many people.

Even as a 17-year-old, Token is encountering the trials and tribulations of fame and the pressure of other people depending on his success. These rappers I’ve mentioned are definitely for hip hop heads who appreciate the skill of hip hop lyricism. Here he is on Sway absolutely destroying a verse:

He started writing when he was in first grade and this eventually turned into poetry and then hip hop. He started recording in Garageband when he was in fourth grade. He was able to lose 50 pounds going into fifth grade and realized that if he put his mind to something and saw the end goal, he could achieve it. Now he’s made a recent appearance on Sway's radio show and was contacted by Mark Wahlberg shortly after who is also from Massachusetts.

In this documentary you get a background of Token which includes his history of having a language disability. How ironic when you see how intricate he is with words and language. I really look forward to hearing more music from him.

How ironic when you see how intricate he is with words and language. I really look forward to hearing more music from him.