In “Party,” a single from BiNG’s debut album At It Again, the rapper focuses on finding joy amid the harsh climates rappers face. “Party” is unabashed hedonism at its best, celebrating the vices and joy that arise when people come together. At a time when people can’t come together, the song’s spirit helps us remember past celebrations as we look forward to new ones.
The Louisiana born, Houston-based BiNG has been rapping for a few decades but life has intervened, and he hasn’t released music until now. “I studied business at Texas Southern University and University of Phoenix. I have a master’s degree in business. I’m also disabled being schizophrenic and injured from sports,” he said, laying out some victories and obstacles he’s faced.
But the whole time, whatever he’s dealt with, he’s been writing and rapping. After getting positive feedback, he felt it was time to release and promote his music. “I just thought I’d see if people wanted to listen to my music, so I put a little marketing behind it. If it sells, it sells. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t,” he says matter-of-factly. While he’s never been into battles or contests, the rapper used to write with friends but now usually does so alone. “It’s a little harder to write alone. Not as much inspiration. But it’s cool,” he say. There are a lot of things that inspire him as is. “I try to come different every time. I don’t stick to one image or gimmick like Tupac did,” he said. “I rap about partying, I rap about what I see every day, I rap about me being a king,” he laughs. These tracks appear on his debut album, At It Again, available now.
One subject close to BiNG’s heart is the murder of up-and-coming rappers like Pop Smoke and XXTentacion. BiNG quotes Christopher Reid, aka Kid of Kid & Play, who darkly commented that “Hip Hop is now a Dead Gangsta Rapper of the Month Club.” BiNG admits the culture makes him wary of doing shows. He included a song, “Glue,” on his new album about his own death. Even his stage name, reminiscent of a gun, is a constant reminder of the violence in the Rap scene. (He adds that he chose the name before the search engine but likes to say he’s faster than the search engine.)
As BiNG grows more confident in his music and releases it with growing support, it’s being well received by listeners. “Party” has received over 5,000 views. “I want people to bop their heads,” he says of his music, and that’s starting to come true. As he works to increase his reach, however, he needs help financing a national radio campaign. BiNG is actively seeking an investor that will help him do that so that more listeners can bop their heads along with his music.