Charmingly Ghetto Releases Powerful Lyric Video For ‘Sleepy People’

Social media is one helluva drug. Once connected to the forces of Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and the like, each day becomes a whirlwind of RTs and likes and posts that all start to blend into each other without a start or a finish.

With the Internet comes unlimited knowledge, and theoretically that knowledge is converted into wisdom, but far too often the saturation of material online dulls the mind.

Boston’s Charmingly Ghetto addresses the drawbacks of social media in the first verse of his latest song, “Sleepy People.” Rapping over a hypnotic beat from producer ATG that flips Bettye Crutcher’s “Sleepy People,” CG manages to speak on the excesses of visual stimulation without coming off as a grandpa upset at all the children and their fancy gadgets. “God rued the day they smartened up my phone and made me dumb.”

But the song is more than just an indictment of obsessive-compulsive Facebook voyeurs. It is an analysis of society in general, of our collective desire to avoid the challenges that come in our path, our need to stay awake through all hours of the day while accomplishing very little, and our reluctance to engage in constructive activity.

Throughout the song, CG weaves the story together by injecting himself into the chaotic world he is describing, like a true street poet of the modern era. A perfect example comes when he says “And what you call abusing yo I just find amusing/This world is cold our culture shivers without a jacket/I warm and soothe my soul/With substances I control.” It’s gripping and powerful while remaining intensely personal.

ATG’s beat is a haunting soundscape, perfect for the message of the song. The sampled vocal fades in and out, as if warning of peril from a distance, coming into the forefront for the hook. The chemistry the producer and emcee have together is readily evident.

Meanwhile, the lyric video that accompanies “Sleepy People” is gripping. Fully animated, it is a visual journey that will engage a viewer even if the viewer chooses to watch it on mute. What’s most impressive is the attention to detail, such as when the breasts of a clearly naked woman are covered by the bird symbol from Twitter, or the highlighting of the word “culture” with the red, black, and green flag.

This is the third song to come out from CG and ATG’s upcoming project, “Of The Meaning of Progress,” set to come out July 2. While clearly unheralded, this is definitely a project worth checking out.