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Photo: Daniel Prakopcyk

Absence is heavy. It tends to linger, thick in the air like fog that clouds the coping that follows. Eem Triplin explores this in his new single "MISS ME?," a track about a change of heart that leads to a broken heart, culminating in wound-healing tendencies. While everything one has come to expect in terms of Triplin's high production is present in this new composition, what is surprising is the dripping emotion in the themes aforementioned that make each carefully placed sound all the sharper. 

As the song begins, an eerie whistle slithers its way through door-rattling beats to barge in on Triplin's drawling chorus cadences. As panache and vulnerability form a sweet concoction, Triplin's breathy vocals make the lyrics poignant, "That's why I don't feel the love when you kiss me / I was gone for a month, did you miss me? / Say I'm actin' brand new, but I'm still me / It's been a long time, do you still feel me?" For a talented producer-turned-rapper, hailing from the outskirts of steely Pittsburgh, the song is as mechanical as it is emotional, creating an expressive cyborgian style.

As the verses settle in and it becomes clear that Triplin flirts to heal his heart's wounds through vices—sex, drugs, and the money that often fuels both—we see a rapper who is using sound as a vehicle for real lyricism that does not aim to hide nor pretend. It is a classic story of coping, done to ever-layering beat modes, burrowed basslines, and violin weeps that all converge like spider webs ensnaring listeners for the final bite. As the song ends, muffled, crackling sounds, raining piano keys, and clear video game power-ups fade us into the best kind of lull.

That freedom of expression and fearlessness of authenticity have endeared Triplin to hip-hop aficionados looking for legitimate artists. As is often the case with rap music, all avenues leading to commercialization charge tolls of genuineness. Where a Kendrick Lamar or Travis Scott has arrived at the final destination of stardom, it has been well earned in raw pounds of flesh (in terms of real stories and harsh truths). This is all to say that in rap, you can't fake it. Eem Triplin, in "MISS ME?," is as real as it gets.

Listen to "MISS ME?" below: