Session Notes 7.31.25 - Recoechi Asks Important Questions on "Da Godly"

"f**k them graves, I want to see us grow vertically, between the streets and conscious rap, I walk the line perfectly." 

We are two weeks away from the release of Recoechi's debut LP, FLAVAZ. In some ways it feels right around the corner, and in many ways, it feels like an eternity. I discovered Recoe and dove into this music over the holidays of 2023. He did a song with Mani Jordan, who is part of the GreatThinkaz, which includes Mother Nature, who has released music on Closed Sessions since 2019. 

I reached out to Recoe in January 2024 and we met up in February at Cafe 53, in Hyde Park. I grew up just blocks from the cafe on 54th and Hyde Park Blvd, and while Recoe grew up much farther south around 87th St, he attended Ray School, the same elementary school I attended as a kid, and the same school where my mom taught for the majority of my childhood. 

We talked for a while that day, telling our respective stories, bonding over some shared beliefs, experiences, and love for Medici pizza. I signed Recoe in May 2024 with the plan to release FLAVAZ in August. Then October. Then February. Then April. You get the idea... While being a new and relatively unknown artist is extremely tough, the best thing about it is that there is no "shot clock". There's no deadline for your first album. There are no fans growing impatient, no trends making your sound or style or content outdated. Time is truly on your side, for perhaps the only time in your career. 

We've sat with FLAVAZ for the better part of a year. I've known how special this album is for the last 12 months. I'm not saying that I'm perfect in spotting talent, but I am pretty fucking good. My track record, and the Closed Sessions catalog speaks for itself. I'm telling you, Recoe is that guy. And "Da Godly" is all of that on display.

The song started as a freestyle over Erkyah Badu's "The Other Side of The Game" and turned into a calling-card type of record in which Recoe asks serious questions of the listener, before providing his own answers and planting his own flag. JazStarr provides the chorus and bridge, with an assist from Denzel Lavel. The song is produced by Renzell with additional production from Hudah of the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble. 

"Da Godly" is out now on all DSP's. FLAVAZ drops 8.14.25 and is undeniably a Chicago Hip Hop album. With production from Renzell (Chance the Rapper, Mick Jenkins, Isaiah Rashad, Vic Mensa, Saba, Noname, theMIND, femdot.) and additional production from C-Sick and others, Recoechi delivers top-tier storytelling across a sprawling record that introduces an entire arsenal of characters- each drawn from the depths of human experience. The project captures his upbringing on Chicago's Southeast Side, while also channeling the many styles born from the city to carve out a voice entirely his own. It's political, personal, about the streets, recovery, reflective - and ultimately about survival and self discovery.