The song & video are available now
6lack returns with the release of his stirring new song “FTRG” (“Fuck The Rap Game”) via LVRN/Interscope Records. The track sees the rapper in deep reflection as he honors his rap roots, revealing much about his staggering personal and professional journey. A journey lined with the tumultuous ups and downs of the music industry that goes hand-in-hand with his own journey as a man in today’s world. It’s the result of a man vehemently working to be his best for his family, his friends, his peers, his community, and himself, choosing to stay focused on his higher purpose that led him to find music. Directed by AboveGround, the video brings to life the many sentiments at play in this song: The flashiness and allure of the industry while 6lack bares himself and remains authentically him.
“I came into the industry before the streaming era, and I’ve witnessed a lot of change since then. Over the last few years, there seems to be a lot more moments where it feels like being an artist is about everything besides the actual music. I consider myself very fortunate to do what I love for a living,” 6lack says. “But I say fuck the rap ‘game’ because that’s the part I don’t love. The part that has nothing to do with artistic expression and makes being an artist feel like a job. This song is a personal reflection about distractions within the music industry that detract from what this art form was created for. I’m distancing myself from the politics and reminding myself what my purpose is within the genre.”
“FTRG” follows the release of his beloved More Lonely Nights acoustic project that celebrated the first anniversary of his Grammy-nominated album, Since I Have A Lover. It also arrives as 6lack is in the middle of his striking No More Lonely Nights Tour and has introduced a series of intimate performances that capture the raw emotion that lines the collection of songs on Since I Have A Lover, delving into 6lack’s personal journey with mental health, healing, personal growth, love and finding his way through it all — the good and the bad.
