If you like catching rap artists on the way up, be quick to jump on the hype of Arden B; there is rocket fuel behind his ascent. The independent Rap and R&B artist, entrepreneur and tech executive hit the ground running with his debut single, WORK, and now, with his sophomore single, Back in the Day, in transmission on the airwaves, he is becoming an unreckonable rap force.
Looking to the past in his lyrics while fully embracing modern production around rapid-fire bars, boom-bap beats and dark trap aesthetics, Arden B feels fully locked into his own lane. He is carried by the volition in his own conviction as he waxes lyrical with the kind of confidence only true talent can hold without sounding overcooked.
The spacey, wavey atmospherics pull you into a vortex of Arden B’s ingenuity, while his hypnotically cadenced bars cut like razor wire. There is a sleek melodic pull here that sits comfortably near the after-dark flex of Bryson Tiller, the motivational hunger of Nipsey Hussle and the clean, self-assured melodic rap charge of A Boogie wit da Hoodie, making Arden B the kind of triple threat artist that could leave most up-and-coming rappers cowering.
Back in the Day raises the stakes ahead of his November 2026 mixtape; he’s set the bar high, but we have no doubt he can defy the gravity that keeps the majority of rap artists down.
Back in the Day is now available on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify.
Review by Amelia Vandergast
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