The beginning of North Side rapper Nello's latest release, "Private Jet Vibes" starts with the reposeful strums of a guitar. His mournful auto-tuned voice kicks in shortly after, with the lyrics, "Keep rolling all these woods that's how I keep passing by / my n*ggas dead and gone I couldn't tell them bye."
It sounds like it's the start of a rap-emo track, the genre made popular by late musicians Lil Peep and Juice WRLD, among others. And while "Private Jet Vibes" does have elements of the hip-hop subgenre — dark lyricism, moody production, a melancholy delivery — Nello puts forth confidence.
"Private Jet Vibes," he sings before the chorus, "They throw dirt but I'm going to shine." Before slightly second-guessing himself yet staying hopeful with the words, "I pray I shine in the light, even in the darkness / God what is my calling?"
Even with uncertainty and the pain in the world, it's possible to keep the hope.
Nello's 'Private Jet Vibes' gives hope in the unknown
