Title: “Homecoming”
Artist: Orion
From: “Orion” (2021)
Release Date: October 24, 2021
Length: 5:07
Format: CD Single, Digital Download, 7” Single, Weekly Airplay
Recorded: July 2021 – Studio60, West Hollywood, California, USA
Genre(s): Rap, Hip-Hop
Label: Tric-Jam Records
Written: July 2021
Writer(s): Brayton Carter, Jadyn Ghalen, Jamal Ghalen
Producer(s): Orion, DeAndre Patton
Previous Single: “Rookie of the Year” (August 15, 2021) [#01]
“Homecoming” is the eighth single from American Hip-Hop group ‘Orion’ and the confirmed final single from their upcoming debut album. Following on from August’s release of “Rookie of the Year”, the trio go back to traditional theme’s of nostalgia on their latest effort, placing both their current life in California alongside their upbringing in Detroit and mirroring them off against each other. Their references to their hometown remain honest but respectful, acknowledging that they’re missing a rawness and realness from their hometown against the perfect backdrop of their life on the west coast and how the two differ so much. It’s a theme that runs throughout their debut album and has been heard in glimpses on previous singles, “We Bring Em’ Up” and “Dynasty”, obviously a strong feeling within the group of paying tribute to where they come from and not forgetting how and where they were raised.
Stated in a recent interview, rapper ‘Circuit’ discussed the track as a personal favourite from their upcoming debut album,
“Man, we cook up a lot of shit in the studio. The amount of stuff that we’ve recorded and dropped out is crazy, it’s almost difficult to keep track of what we’ve left behind and what we’ve included on the record, but for me there’s a joint called “Homecoming” that I’ve gotta say is the big one for me. Usually when we step into the booth for our verses it’s difficult to get us on the same page cause we tackle these beats from all different angles. But when we put our individual shit together for this track, it was like ‘Oh, fuck, we really feeling the same way on this shit.’ I can’t lie and say we haven’t missed our hometown, like that shit is where we were fuckin’ forged and we don’t wanna keep focussing on that cause we know our life right now is on a different trajectory. But when we all jumped on that beat we were on a collision course with this one, all in the same headspace. That shit can be rare as fuck, so when you get it you’ve gotta fucking highlight it. By the end of it, we threw on a sample of a track by The Spinners to break up the verses, slowed that shit down and it was we all thought this one is basically a love letter to Detroit.
They may not be the most heartfelt words you’re ever gonna hear, but when you’ve lived it and you know the area or even if you’re just in that headspace, man it’s designed to get you feeling misty eyed and shit. Nostalgia’s got a way of doing that to ya, I try to keep away from that mind space, but sometimes it’s unavoidable. It worked out alright this time since it created for me, the best track on the entire record. It’s the best shit we’ve done so far.”The track was written in July 2021 during studio sessions for their upcoming album and recorded and mixed around the same time at Studio60 Recording Studios in West Hollywood, California. Produced by the trio alongside DeAndre Patton. As the final single from their debut album, the track will serve as the final promotional release in anticipation for the record expected to follow swiftly. “Homecoming” will be released in a variety of different formats through Tric-Jam Records on 24 October 2021.
Song DescriptionThe track begins with the sound of static and background street noise, almost as though someone is turning the radio station over in a car on a rainy evening on the road, as the crackling clears we can hear a snippet of a slowed down version of The Spinners track “I’m Coming Home”, as the vocals deliver the lyrics,
“Won’t you understand, why doncha?/Tell someone to meet me, I’m coming home/Tell someone to meet me, why doncha?” which in it’s slowed down vocally isolated version sets the tone for the trio to deliver their love letter to their hometown. It’s a brief intro as the sampled song crackles before it disappears as the beat suddenly changes to a more gritty hip-hop beat, slow and subtle there’s not much to it as it allows the mood to wash over the track with the lyrics and theme of the song as Bellows steps up first and raps over the sombre and brooding beat,
“Penny for your thoughts, cuz/Fuck it, just keep em’/Been out here making all this buzz so you know I don’t need it/A million miles away from home, kid/These streets are different/They say they’re lined with gold/But I know it’s just that fake shit, keep it/Feel like I’m in a different headspace/I’ve always been east coast at heart and west coast when I’m on my dreamer shit/But I guess homesickness comes to us all some day/I just need to feel something/A little real/Like the streets that fucking built me/Solid concrete and steel.” which immediately sets the tone and mood for the track, mixed with the beat, the lyrics paint a vivid picture of the trio’s own headspace in this current moment, even more evident as Bellows continues,
“Detroit, you know you’ll always be my hometown/I just hope since I went away/The least that I could do is make you all proud/Come back a returning hero/You know we always fuckin’ bring it back/Massive love to my hometown/It's where it’s at.”The sample track crackles in once more and will continue to bookend each verse throughout before it’s Boa’s turn to jump into the track and give his take on this love letter to his hometown,
“This shit ain’t something they’ve never seen before/They’ve seen so many leave with their head in the clouds and their ambitions full of dreams/And a lot of em’ went out and fucking made it/Some came back before they had a chance to become rich and famous/Sitting on the front stoop/Watching the whole world just pass em’ by/Hit it hard wit the bottle/Ain’t no wonder that they wanna die/I’ve witnessed this shit so many times before/I just hope we don’t live it/Got so many reasons that I wanna live for/Nah, the money and the lifestyle is fucking good, I can’t lie/We out here living it up in the hills/Bad bitches by our side/Cooking it up for us on them big fucking hooks and chorus/Sucking dick like a champ/Cause these Cali girls fucking adore us/But we fuckin’ know/That we be bringing this shit back home/We gon’ have fun while we runnin’/But you gonna fuckin’ understand this shit when we on our homecoming.” as he has a different take on things having seen people go away to try to make it and only return with nothing to show for it and end up living out there life washed up and broken. Suggesting that he has a fear of that being his future path but enough belief that they won’t falter like those that have gone before them and failed previously.
The static returns for the sample to showcase the final verse and close things out, but in between it’s Circuit’s turn to deliver his verse, it feels like the beat is slightly more aggressive during the final verse, the speed of the beat is increased a little and the background street noises can be heard throughout the final verse, the sound rain coming down heavily and the occasional sound of yelling and sirens are very faint in the background but if you listen for it you can notice the additional effects that backdrop the verse from Circuit as he steps up,
“Honestly if I’m speaking truths out here/You know if I’m spitting bars about my hometown, we be shifting gears/That reminiscing shit just tears me up/Like fuck, man you know we were taught to grow up tough/Lost a lot through the years/Now every memory I have about the streets that fucking raised me/Are only in negative colours, black, grey and grainy/You know I’mma always be drawn back/But it’s with a heavy heart/Only got so much gas left in the tank/This hometown drains me of every last fucking drop that I have/Brings me back down to earth with a bang/While I’m steppin’ the game up in Cali stomping on these fucking monster beats/Notifications popping off/Another of my hometown brothers dead in the streets/Takes me outta this fictional world I’m living in/And brings me back home to reality that my people are still fucking living in.” which see’s more specific references to the difficulties balancing where they come from and where they are now, while Bellows and Boa went with a more general take on the situation, Circuit speaks specifically on the reasons why he has a tormented relationship with his hometown that is ultimately drenched in love and affection for it but pain at the same time, giving the track it’s most emotive moment during it’s closer as he takes a breath and finishes out his verse,
“Sometimes I feel like I should just pack it all in/And return back to it/Cause I feel like a fraud when I’m out here/Fucking around in the blue sky City, acting like I’m out here running it/Sometimes I feel like I should just pack it all in/And return back to it/Cause I feel like a fraud when I’m out here/Fuck it, I know that I am and yet I just keeping living it.” as the verse finishes and the sound of the sampled track closes things out in it’s original more upbeat form, creating a contrast in moods and flipping the entire mood of the song on it’s head.
“Homecoming”[Samples The Spinners – “I’m Coming Home”]
“Won’t you understand, why doncha?
Tell someone to meet me, I’m coming home
Tell someone to meet me, why doncha?[Bellows]
Penny for your thoughts, cuz
Fuck it, just keep em’
Been out here making all this buzz so you know I don’t need it
A million miles away from home, kid
These streets are different
They say they’re lined with gold
But I know it’s just that fake shit, keep it
Feel like I’m in a different headspace
I’ve always been east coast at heart and west coast when I’m on my dreamer shit
But I guess homesickness comes to us all some day
I just need to feel something
A little real
Like the streets that fucking built me
Solid concrete and steel
Detroit, you know you’ll always be my hometown
I just hope since I went away
The least that I could do is make you all proud
Come back a returning hero
You know we always fuckin’ bring it back
Massive love to my hometown
It's where it’s at
Won’t you understand, why doncha?
Tell someone to meet me, I’m coming home
Tell someone to meet me, why doncha?[Boa]
This shit ain’t something they’ve never seen before
They’ve seen so many leave with their head in the clouds and their ambitions full of dreams
And a lot of em’ went out and fucking made it
Some came back before they had a chance to become rich and famous
Sitting on the front stoop
Watching the whole world just pass em’ by
Hit it hard wit the bottle
Ain’t no wonder that they wanna die
I’ve witnessed this shit so many times before
I just hope we don’t live it
Got so many reasons that I wanna live for
Nah, the money and the lifestyle is fucking good, I can’t lie
We out here living it up in the hills
Bad bitches by our side
Cooking it up for us on them big fucking hooks and chorus
Sucking dick like a champ
Cause these Cali girls fucking adore us
But we fuckin’ know
That we be bringing this shit back home
We gon’ have fun while we runnin’
But you gonna fuckin’ understand this shit when we on our homecoming
Won’t you understand, why doncha?
Tell someone to meet me, I’m coming home
Tell someone to meet me, why doncha?[Circuit]
Honestly if I’m speaking truths out here
You know if I’m spitting bars about my hometown, we be shifting gears
That reminiscing shit just tears me up
Like fuck, man you know we were taught to grow up tough
Lost a lot through the years
Now every memory I have about the streets that fucking raised me
Are only in negative colours, black, grey and grainy
You know I’mma always be drawn back
But it’s with a heavy heart
Only got so much gas left in the tank
This hometown drains me of every last fucking drop that I have
Brings me back down to earth with a bang
While I’m steppin’ the game up in Cali stomping on these fucking monster beats
Notifications popping off
Another of my hometown brothers dead in the streets
Takes me outta this fictional world I’m living in
And brings me back home to reality that my people are still fucking living in
Sometimes I feel like I should just pack it all in
And return back to it
Cause I feel like a fraud when I’m out here
Fucking around in the blue sky City, acting like I’m out here running it
Sometimes I feel like I should just pack it all in
And return back to it
Cause I feel like a fraud when I’m out here
Fuck it, I know that I am and yet I just keeping living it
Won’t you understand, why doncha?
Tell someone to meet me, I’m coming home
Tell someone to meet me, why doncha?”
Credits & Personnel;CREDITSProduced by Orion and DeAndre Patton
Engineered by DeAndre Patton
Mixed by Orion and DeAndre Patton
Recorded at Studio 60 Recording Studios, West Hollywood, California, USA
PERSONNELBrayton “Bellows” Carter – vocals, piano, lyrics, composition, production, mixing
Jadyn “Boa” Ghalen – vocals, lyrics, composition, production, mixing
Jamel “Circuit” Ghalen – vocals, lyrics, drum machine, composition, production, mixing, programming
DeAndre Patton – production, engineering
