PawPaw Rod is Rodney Hulsey, a singer and rapper hailing from Oklahoma City.
Rod debuted at the end of 2020 with “HIT EM WHERE IT HURTS”, which blended 60s soul with the cadence of hiphop – like a woozier Bill Withers or Gil Scott-Heron. The record quickly found its way to the top of global viral charts and in an Apple commercial too, with not much information out there about Rod except that he was a Capricorn who loved cowboy boots.
“A PawPaw Rod EP”, out 17 September 2021 on LA's Godmode (who've brought you artists such as Channel Tres, Yaeji, and JPEGMAFIA), hopefully fills in the gaps. PawPaw wisdom is hard-nosed, hard-earned, matter-of-fact – but delivered with love too. Musically it's a focused four-song offering that follows the contours of "HIT EM", co-written and produced entirely by Godmode head honcho Nick Sylvester with help from longtime collaborator Adam Moerder.
“Thin Lines” is the latest single from the EP, with a video shot in Rodney’s Oklahoma City hometown and directed by cult filmmaker Anthony Sylvester.
lyrics
Lyrics:
(VERSE 1)
Sunshine, bathe me, lately life’s been crazy/
Your Eyes, tell all, we outside with it, your call/
Move me, Need Me, care about it, breath deep/
You see, what I miss, holdin on to ya with a tight grip/
Light Lit, no cap, heart spilled all over the
Floor mat/ Tongue out, I don’t know how to hold that, nowadays I don’t really want to hold back/
(CHORUS)
So I hit em where it hurts, (Set sail, lighthouse, Search)
So I hit em where it hurts, (Set sail, Lighthouse, Search) -
I been down with you, you been down with me, we know this ain’t all Talk/
(VERSE 2)
I’m on a Quest-love, Learn my roots/ Think that Black Thought, this my truth/ This that tipping point, this that proof/ Go head spark it up, we off mute/ loud and clear now, that sound good?/ Life in motion, like it should/ Came a long way, play that long game, yesterday gone, we’re on our way, aye/
credits
from A PawPaw Rod EP,
released September 15, 2021
produced by Nick Sylvester and Adam Moerder
recorded by Nick Sylvester at Godmode, Los Angeles, CA
mixed by Nick Sylvester at Godmode, Los Angeles, CA
additional mixing by Robert Szmurlo
mastered by Sarah Register at SRM, Brooklyn, NY
song by Rodney Hulsey II, Adam Moerder, Nick Sylvester
vocals by Rodney Hulsey II
background vocals by Nick Sylvester
OB-6 synthesizer by Nick Sylvester
drums by Nick Sylvester
guitar by Adam Moerder
additional noises by Adam Moerder
supported by 34 fans who also own “HIT EM WHERE IT HURTS”
Like so many others, this came like a bolt out of the blue and, even though it's well before payday, I had to have this astonishing album on vinyl to prove it exists. The feel of the tunes makes me feel like the Impressions do, Curtis Mayfield, the big spaces and instinctive horns and stuff drifting in and out. Great grooves and I can see lots of ghosts nodding along to this with big smiles on their faces. At last! Anthony Cottrell
