It's hard to believe that it's been four years since we've gotten new music from Leon Thomas, but now he's resurfaced with a single, music video, deal and album on the way. The singer-songwriter-producer who brought us "Favorite" is back in the game with the song "X-Rated" featuring rap group Griselda’s Benny The Butcher.
Thomas has signed with Ty Dolla $ign’s label EZMNY Records, a joint venture with Motown Records, and makes his debut on the imprint with "X-Rated." The song finds Leon singing about a sexually liberated woman who plays the innocent role, but she is really for the streets.
"She just want to take it off / Blame it on the alcohol / X-rated on her tongue, watch it dissolve / X-rated, girl, if these walls could talk," Leon sings on the first verse, likening her love to a drug – one that he's indulged in. He comes to find out, though, that she ain't loyal and "even let my homeboy try."
The glitchy, head-nod inducing beat is accented by warbling guitars and synths that give the song a hazy sound. The track is perfect for Benny The Butcher's bars. He slides through to let Leon know that he also fell for her well-played game. "Hey yo, Leon, I got a confession / Since we kicking it, she got me too," he spits.
“'X-Rated' is an ode to my love of 'Boom Bap' and early ’90s instrumentals," Leon Thomas shared via press release about his inspiration for the song's sound. "Benny The Butcher brought authentic bars and helped further the theme of this record.”
Leon and Benny continue to give us throwback flavor in the music video for "X-Rated." The multitalented artist hops into the director's chair for the visual, which also features a cameo from Ty Dolla $ign. The clip delivers an early '90s hip-hop aesthetic with numerous shots and camera techniques that will trigger nostalgia.
"X-Rated" is just the first taste of new music that we'll be getting from Leon Thomas in advance of his debut project on EZMNY Records. While we stay tuned for more, get into his tale of this sexually free young lady wrapped up in an ode to '90s hip-hop right here.
