Premiere: Pressa Does Vegas in '96 Freestyle' Video

The rising Toronto rapper premieres his new single on Complex. "I want to give my fans a polished full project and put on for all of Canada," he says.

Pressa—he of Drake shout-outs and "Wass Gang" notoriety—celebrated his 24th birthday over the weekend. Judging by the debaucheries visible on his IG Live, and his eyes in this pic, it was quite the time. To cap off the festivities, today the Toronto rapper drops a reflective new single, "96 Freestyle." It's accompanied by a video, directed by Genreshoots, that sees him cut loose in Las Vegas. Watch it above.

“I just celebrated my birthday, so the video is about chasing the sunset, having fun, and living the dream," Pressa tells Complex. "I want to enjoy this time in my life and I wanted the video to reflect that.”

On the track, Pressa, who was born in 1996, recounts the story of his tough teenhood in Toronto in just under two minutes. Over an airy, ethereal beat—produced by Killy collaborator Bluxz—he spits earworm bars about coming up with "his name on a bullet," and having his success cut short "when the police tapped my line." If you've been following Pressa at all, you know his much-publicized run-ins with Toronto law enforcement nearly ground his career to halt. Nowadays, he's one of the city's most buzzed-about rappers, boasting a freshly-inked record deal with Sony. "96 Freestyle," then, is a swaggering, triumphant toast to how far he's come. The sound of a man defiantly raising his cup to more life, surviving and thriving against all odds. 

The track follows the success of "OTM," which Pressa released back in February. The rapper tells us he's been in the studio cooking up new tunes. “I’m still figuring out my sound and what the best sound for me is, but I think ‘melody trap’ is my lane," he says. "I give you bars, but my music usually has a melodic undertone. I want to continue to explore that.”

It appears Wassmas could come early for fans of the rising MC, as he plans to drop a documentary and a new LP later in 2020. "My goal this year is to complete my new album. I want to give my fans a polished full project and put on for all of Canada. I want to go back to Toronto as the prince I am, with the city on my back.”

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