Broke Beats is BDCwire’s open-source hip-hop column. Every Saturday, we showcase the best new albums, EPs, and mixtapes available for free stream or download.
From north of the border comes SeT, a rookie rhymesmith out of Toronto, whose debut “AuRA” was premiered on Noisey earlier this week. SeT, who gets his name from the Ancient Egyptian god of chaos, brings a dark edge to the world of mortals with his eerie blend of trap hip-hats and down-modulated choruses – the title track “AuRA” being the best example of this.
SeT, an obvious acolyte of Kanye West, is a big presence on wax. “I’m not the new Kanye,” he explains on “Bounce,” “but I’m bad.” On the track, an obvious club banger repurposed for the underground, his energetic flow occupies an otherwise sparse background, bringing his presence – er, aura? – to the forefront. This sort of ambition and confidence will likely put the young Canadian in conversations with West for years to come – especially with the whole “I Am A God” attitude that “AuRA” repurposes – but the fact is that SeT is much slicker on the mic than the Louis Vuitton Don.
By not leaning on punchlines to get his message across, SeT separates himself from the largely ‘Ye-centered emergence of experimental rap. He emanates each track evenly, taking on flavors of Odd Future, Clipse, and even Pharcyde en route to forging his own identity as one of the brightest talents emerging from Canada’s rap scene. And he’s coming to you via stream or download absolutely free of charge.
Praise Amun-Ra for that.
