Brooklyn rapper OnCue, has been hard at work since fans last heard from him on his sophomore mixtape, Can't Wait. Most recently working with legendary hip-hop producer, Just Blaze and wildly popular EDM producer, Hudson Mohawke on his latest single, So Much Love from his upcoming album Angry Young Man. And with out further adue, Genius is proud to present the dark, gripping and intense official video for SML

While on the surface the song sounds like a "conventional" smash-hit, with components of braggadocious, "in your face" style flows, laced with synth-hop production; its more than that. On SML, he goes over common topics of rap, partying, drugs and clothes, and turns them into double meanings that connect with the character in the video. Cuey states in an interview with Genius that this is the intent; "to make listeners look deeper in the music", to be able to find the true meaning within. "I really wanted to tell a story. You can take the song in a couple different ways, and that was definitely the intention."

With this in mind, Cuey took an opportunity to fully annotate the song on Genius with his verified account.

"Wardrobe on my blacks and blues tip
Every time I put in my two cents
I end up copping brand new shit"

Right from the start, the use of wordplay is evident. He references the common topic of fashion ("blacks and blues" "two cents, copping brand new shit"), but within these same words there is a double meaning. He's covered in bruises ("black and blue"), and as he explains in his annotation, he uses "copping" as a double meaning

Later on in the verse he goes on to say:

"Last night really hit me hard
(I) Think I blacked out and I swear to god
If I catch that mother fucker right off his job
Then I'll go to a safe and take off that noggin"


Here, he's using partying as a metaphor for the abuse the character endures. It's as if the he finally woke-up from the nightmare and isn't going to stand back and let it happen anymore

As an effect of the depression he goes through, the character takes on a drug habit

"Wear a mask to school, hide my facelike I'm MF Doom
Lie to my friends, can't face the truth
Give me any drug I'm a damn vacuum"
At this point the character is "lost" as Cuey says in his annotation. He's afraid that his friends will find out about the abuse, or even worse that teachers will find out. Once it gets to that point, the character knows it will only get worse

Herein lies the ugly truth's about abuse. It doesn't end until there is something done about it. And while the issue is a disturbing one, its time to start talking about it, and we can only hope that Cuey's flat-out brilliant expression of the issue can encourage even one person whos abused to put it to a stop, not with a gun to the abusers head, but with their words