Warwickshire, Rugby hip-hop group 2U4U comprised of producer ATMA and MC My Rugema release new single dubbed ‘High School.’
The new single ‘High School’ showcases their unique hip-hop sound and also the chemistry between the pair.
Producer ATMA stated
“I was digging through my records to gain inspiration and I came across a sample which was literally 6-8 seconds long. The sample took me back to when I first started making beats when I was heavy into Kanye West music (from College Dropout/Late Reg/ Graduation era) and I used to walk to school listening to those albums. So straightaway, I thought I’d capture that feeling into this beat as sort of a homage to one of my favourite producers. I already had some drum sounds I had created a couple of days prior so I made the drum loop in a few minutes, then I chopped/sequenced the sample I always looked up to how Dr Dre/J Dilla would get their drums crisp and knocking so I wanted my drums to have the same character – with the heaviness of the kick, crispness of the high hats and the snap of the snare. Once My Rugema laid the vocals, a friend laid down the bass line on a Moog. I then add a Wurtlizer on the final verse to reflect the feeling I was getting from My Rugema’s heartfelt verse to his mother. There was a further ode to another producer I used to dig growing up – Timbaland. Around the time I started making beats, I used to like how he’d switch up the drums at the end of his songs, so I did that too in this track as a little homage to him also.”
Rugema also stated
“Further to ATMA’s production which felt ethereal, nostalgic and reflective, I approached the song from the perspective of the past. I focused on writing three verses where I met three pivotal people in my life going from most recent to furthest back in the past; my girlfriend CC, producer ATMA and my mother. I went back to the places we met and painted the scenes with real life events to reminisce on how it felt. I thanked them for the impact they had on me as a person, how I could show love and be loved; how I can learn and become great at what I do, whilst enjoying it; and how I was supported throughout my childhood. This is an homage to them but also a reflection on life and how things must pass. The song was written in 2019 and the meaning has become especially poignant due to the pandemic where the whole world suffered and people ‘passed like seasons.’ I also suffered two personal losses in the form of my Father and Stepfather losing their lives in 2020 and 2021 respectively, which gives the Michael Bird-assisted chorus a deeper meaning in my perspective. I touch on their lives more on songs featured on the full forthcoming EP. ‘High School’ exemplifies the values of 2U4U, using original, complex whilst concise production, with deep storytelling influenced by our lives.’
Listen below…
