During his Mad Planet performance as part of Breadfest 2014, Sam Ahmed (aka “WebsterX”) pledged to have new material in the can and ready to release this winter. Fewer than 72 hours later, the talented Milwaukee rapper (and above average basketball player) made good—and early—on his promise to put out new stuff, with the release of a dazzlingly trippy video for his new song “Renaissance.” The video debuted on Brooklyn-based Impose Magazine this afternoon.

On it, Ahmed is joined by fellow emcee Lex Allen and ex-Chance The Rapper collaborator D. Bridge—the latter of whom compensates for Ahmed’s realization that he’s “only okay at rap singing.” Ahmed said he and producer Mic Kellogg reversed a sample of a Twista song to make the instrumental. THEMpeople mastered the completed track. Webster’s ever-present Cream City pride he hoisted throughout Desperate Youth is still front and center, but he also offers pointed barbs about presenting his art in a way that topples deep-seeded racial barriers in Milwaukee music.

The song’s sheen is matched with the soothing specter of green screen clouds and a faintly eastern influence in the Charlie Koss-directed video. At times, Ahmed and Allen are shown towering over Milwaukee, which isn’t too far fetched (metaphorically speaking), given output like this.

WebsterX will perform at the Bandsketball Final Four Show at Bremen Cafe on Thursday, August 8. The show is free and it begins at 9 p.m.

About The Author

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Co-Founder and Editor

Before co-founding Milwaukee Record, Tyler Maas wrote for virtually every Milwaukee publication (except Wassup! Magazine). He lives in Bay View and enjoys both stuff and things.