Clemmie Williams – “City of Rain” (ft. LLusion)

Written for his friends in the Pacific Northwest – and Tacoma, Washington specifically – “City of Rain” is a great showing of Clemmie Williams’ deep-toned, intense vocal delivery — in a similar tonal and intensity spectrum to Killer Mike. With lyrical content that speaks to the beautiful enthusiasm of PNW dreamers, as well as the unpredictable nature of mortality, Clemmie navigates around spurting brass and a “come on with the rain” old-timey vocal sample. The chorus provides a great hook, with a swankier tonal addition to the brass aligning with a bouncier vocal delivery, comparative to the verses. It’s a rather subtle hook in navigating from the verse, though one that packs emotion and intensity, with the choir proclaiming “I love my city / I rep my city” adding extra oomph.