Melbourne rapper, Papithbk, has amassed a large following in the last year, gaining his initial spotlight when the late XXXTentacion showed him support on his Instagram, commenting, “Spittin fye, but you gon find love, trust me,” on his ‘Love is a Drug’ video.

Since gaining recognition from one of his biggest inspirations, the Australian rapper has been consistently releasing quality music, with projects such as ‘THBK,’ which was a compilation of the many songs he had released on Soundcloud prior to getting on other major streaming platforms, and his first official project, ‘EP,’ which he later released in May, this year. After the success of his EP, Papithbk has returned with a new single, ‘Are You Ready?,’ which showcases the versatile rapper in his element.

While Papi has showcased his confident side on tracks such as ‘Savage Mode,’ which is featured on his EP, it is undeniable that fans have come to love and appreciate Papi’s emotional and introspective side the most. This previously has been shown through his biggest tracks, ‘Sad Nibba Hours,’ ‘Love is a Drug,’ and many more. This unique sound that Papi has created is once again established on ‘Are You Ready?,’ through the subject matter and the poignant production.

The instrumental samples Billie Eilish and Khalid’s hit record, ‘lovely,’ which has amassed nearly 600 million streams on Spotify alone. It is a slow, ‘Shilo’ inspired beat, which over time listeners have heard Papi over consistently, as it ultimately compliments his tone and relaxed style of rapping perfectly.

As soon as his verse starts, Papi begins asking himself questions. “Are you ready for the hard times, ready for the change? Ready for the money and the power and the fame?” Papi continues this thought by explaining his stance on relationships, his career and not “firing shots” at people who aren’t a threat to him. The Australian rapper closes the song with soothing vocals, ultimately explaining that his girl thinks he is ready for all these factors that he was previously asking himself about.

Through this use of another perspective, Papi is ultimately expressing that he knows he is ready for what is going to come with his rise in success and popularity. This allows fans to be confident in Papithbk’s future, and shows them that he is in the right frame of mind when it comes to handling his new stardom.

With ‘Are You Ready?,’ Papithbk has once again impressed. The track is short and precise, and showcases Papi sticking to his strengths, allowing for an enjoyable listen for fans and even first time listeners.

Written by Sam Dehnert