For anyone wondering where Jean Dawson’s music fits into the contemporary landscape, all you need to know is that his recent sophomore album CHAOS NOW* boasted three guest verses: one from Isaiah Rashad, one from Earl Sweatshirt, and one from George Clanton. That is to say that Dawson’s music clearly plays to mainstream rap and pop audiences, while there’s clearly some trend-bucking going on here in favor of exploring his own path, much in the same way Earl’s music has split from the Odd Future tried-and-true sound over the years. Also, he’s almost certainly very aware of vaporwave.
As a sort of victory lap following that release, today he’s unveiling a single originally released in 2021 as an Apple Music Exclusive called “GHOST*,” a rousing, yearning anthem that has us eagerly looking forward to the longer days ahead come spring (not to mention more new material from Dawson). Rapping over acoustic and electric strums, the track is insanely catchy—hear it below.
