With only two previous songs to his name, the world doesn’t know Octavian all that well, yet. “Yet” is the operative words, as the rising UK rapper has already made quite the impact with his two previous releases. In particular, his debut single “Party Here” has already seen a lot of traction on streaming services, and received a major cosign when Drake posted a video clip of himself rapping along to the grime tune at a Golden Globes party. For the French-born, London-raised 22-year-old, it’s not surprising that he’s getting such high-profile views, as the music easily warrants it.
On his third song to date, the silky smooth “Hands,” Octavian expands how fans know him once again. Producing the track along with J Rick, the tune spends its opening minute exploring the sound of Octavian’s voice as an instrument, layering it and modifying it in ways instantly evoke Kanye West’s auto-tuned experiments. But when the throbbing bass kicks in, the song pulls itself together, united by the rhythmic backbone to form something less wandering than its opening. Both sounds suit Octavian well, with the fairly simple video of just him and his friends nonchalantly dancing and hanging out adding to the song’s hazy appeal.
Check out Octavian’s latest single, “Hands,” above.
