New Song: Read The PDF

Mr. Porter, Focus… and Dem Jointz have come together to form a brand new supergroup by the name of “Read The PDF.” The group’s name may sound odd, but it is made up of their initials and is descriptive of their informative music. Music with substance like Run The Jewels.

The group recently released their first single called “By” earlier this week on June 26th , along with a music video on YouTube.

The track opens up with an angelic vocal sample accompanied by a fittingly church choir-esque production. There’s even some subtle grand piano keys being mixed into the instrumental, but not as to bury the lead. Dem Jointz steps up first with a gritty intro and a verse. Heavy drums and hi-hats arrive moments later to help introduce Dem as well as remind the listener that they’re listening to a hip-hop track. His verse is designed to throw some shade towards posers who fake their way into fame. The verse also directs the same message to women who’ve been unfaithful to him through various situations and relationships. To put it simply, Dem is saying “Don’t talk the talk if you can’t walk the walk.”

After Dem’s verse, we take a little break via an interlude sung by Focus…. We dip back into that similar gospel sound we heard, just for a moment. We go straight back to laid back, bass-clap, boom-bap when Focus… brings out the bars. With 3 producers on the track, it’s not surprising how often the beat switches during and between verses. Focus…’s verse stays tight to the theme set by Dem’s verse. Focus… talks about the strong relationships he’s built with his closest friends. I get the impression that he’s been burned many times before, but he’s always able to brush it off as long as he maintains a small, trusted circle. The secondary message in his verse is about staying true to yourself. “I ain’t gotta hide the ME on me/ fortified cuz’ I ain’t ready to D-I-E… I do not benchwarm/ I am not J.V./ we will not stand by/ we the MVPs”“

Once again, the beat switches as Denaun Porter opens up his own verse with harmonic intro. For some reason, the first bar is sung in reverse, then repeated the correct way 4 times. “T’nac tsuj I ,t’nac tsuj I ,t’nac tsuj I”. Porter jumps in headfirst as the beat switches to a powerfully electrical buzzing instrumental. These are the sounds you’d hear if Thor, The God Of Thunder, needed a beat for a diss track. I love Denaun’s super confident flow that snaps every time the beat pauses. The production fits the vocals like a glove the way the bars seemingly control the music. Making sure to stay cohesive with the rest of the track, Denaun pays tribute to a few trusted allies as well. “My big brother Em, my little brother Royce / Product of the Doc s–t, I ain’t got a choice”

I love the way he calls out other, lesser producers for sounding the same and still wind up stealing from each other. He even claims he has to rap on beats he created himself so artists he produces for know how to rap on them. Denaun sounds frustrated, but through a smile, so as not to sound too cynical. There’s some obvious exaggerations here, but I think he’s coming mostly from a place of truth. Man, it’s just so nice to hear Porter in this semi-serious, cheeky mood. It almost brings me back to the days of D12 when they’d bring their A-Game to the booth and still have fun doing it.

Overall, this is a really cool track. With the constantly changing but consistent sound, it’s anything but boring. Every artist tells their perspective on the main theme of the track well maintaining cohesiveness front to back. It comes off as a very braggadocious lead single for the group without sounding cocky or unlikable. In a rap game that’s arguably dying from lack of creativity, Read The PDF has formed a sonically pleasing supergroup to put a dent in quenching that craving.