Title: “All Accelerator, No Brakes”
Artist: Orion
From: TBA (2024)
Release Date: February 17, 2024
Length: 5:12
Format: CD Single, Digital Download, 7” Single, Weekly Airplay
Recorded: November 2023 – Studio60 Recording Studios, West Hollywood, California, USA
Genre(s): Rap, Hip-Hop
Label: Tric-Jam Records
Written: November 2023
Writer(s): Brayton Carter, Jadyn Ghalen, Jamal Ghalen
Producer(s): Orion, Young Khalifa
“All Accelerator, No Brakes” is a single by American hip-hop group ‘Orion’, marking the first single from the groups upcoming sophomore album and their twelfth single overall within their four year career span since signing to ‘Tric-Jam Records’ back in 2020. The group have found themselves on an extraordinary rise within the music industry, going from unknown rookie’s to quickly climbing the ranks and become one of the biggest mainstream acts within the music industry just within a couple of years of their arrival, racking up accolades along the way that include four number one singles, a number one album and a number one E.P as well as awards for “Artist to Watch” and “Best Urban Single” at the 2020 FCA’s with their debut single and “Favourite Urban Act” at the 2021 FCA’s. The trio that consists of brothers Jamal “Circuit” Ghalen and Jadyn “Boa” Ghalen and their cousin Brayton “Bellows” Carter have also supported Rum and Coke on their monumental “The Family Tour” that ran from 2022 through to summer 2023, with the group also finding the time to take a six month break between the various commitments both in official releases and touring commitments. The time away led some to believe that the group could potentially take a longer term hiatus or even disband altogether, with the solo ventures of Jadyn Ghalen both as an artist and businessman as well as the various speculation and media talk that appeared to follow the group around for months.
However, the plan for the group was to always take a small break from commitments following the release of their debut album prior to them returning to the studio to begin work on their sophomore effort. The future beyond album number two is something that hasn’t been spoken about, with all three members alluding to the fact that writing and recording an album as a three piece is a difficult thing to navigate, with the varying opinions of each member and the agreement that each member gets an equal say in the path that the group heads down. Following on from the success of Jadyn’s solo ventures in 2023 it appeared to ramp up the expectation that they will look to close this chapter of the book for a while following the release of their second album and each member will likely move on to establish their own separate careers. However, representatives from their record label ‘Tric-Jam Records’ have confirmed that they did in fact sign a three album contract with the label, although no specific timeframe was included in the contract, but it does look to guarantee that the group will at least be expected to have a minimum of three albums released under their initial agreement with the label.
The trio made their return to the recording studio in September 2023 following the final leg as support on the Rum & Coke world tour and despite positive starts to the initial recording sessions the group stated that they thought progress stalled pretty quickly. It wasn’t until November when progress started to pick up and the song that is believed to have ignited that increase in productivity was the track that would eventually become their lead single from their upcoming record “All Accelerator, No Brakes”.
Writing for “All Accelerator, No Brakes” began it’s formation in early November 2023, around six weeks into the official recording sessions of their sophomore album. Progress in the recording sessions appeared to be going more slowly than the trio had expected, citing the fact that they had different views and ideas of where they felt the direction of the groups music should go. With Brayton preferring to veer away from the braggadocios and brash style that is generally pretty prevalent in modern day rap and hip-hop and push the group forward with a more gritty and real storytelling style that was hinted at through a couple of tracks from their debut album, however Jadyn and Jamal’s viewpoint was that they preferred to write from their own current viewpoint, one that has seen them rise through the ranks of the industry rapidly and find themselves littered with both fame and success. This clash in styles littered the early stages of the recording sessions and it’s been stated off the record by Jamal that once they finished this track, it got things rolling and productivity in the studio soon became much more positive from this point onwards.
The audio track was crafted by producer Young Khalifa using technological wizardry to create the grooves and beats of the track, rather than from the physical playing of instruments. The pacing of the audio track demanded a different energy and rap delivery from the group that have already garnered a reputation for their use of short, sharp phrasing and lyrical delivery but with the pacing of the track they found a space where they could elaborate further and were given space to flesh out the details of the songs topic and tone lyrically while the songs chorus would see them be able to blend back into that rapid-fire, short, sharp delivery that they were generally known for on their debut. The use of their own media attention, the various rumours and their own ambitions and beliefs in where they plan on heading as a group served as the primary inspiration for the lyrical content of the song and once they finally tackled the hurdle of their differences in style and came to the same conclusion that they can speak honestly about their current situation with a realness and rawness, it set the wheels in motion for not only the completion of the lead single from their sophomore album but truly set the wheels in motion for a more productive period for the group in the recording session that would see them in a position where they could envision the album truly coming together in front of them.
The track was officially confirmed by the trio a day before its release during their appearance on the season finale of ‘AfterDark with Cara Zayn’. It was revealed on the show by Jamal, when asked about what he could tell the audience about the new track, he stated,
“We’re picking up where we left off. We showing our ambitions on this track, it’s a relentless track. I feel like we’re coming out of the gate big on this one and setting the table up for the whole album from day one. There’s references to the rumours and the speculation and shit, but right at the center we basically just making it clear that we’re doing this shit on our terms and we’re gonna take it wherever we want it to go. For real it’s a track that starts this next era and if you thought we killed it first time around, you ain’t seen nothing yet.” and following the airing of the show, the previously unused official Instagram account for the group posted an image of the cover for the single, a simplistic deep red background with bold text with the title and artist name, thin black outline and parental advisory sticker with a simplistic caption to go with it that stated
“A new era begins” and a five second instrumental audio attached to it taken from the intro of the song.
The track was written and recorded in November 2023 at Studio60 Recording Studios in West Hollywood, California during the ongoing studio sessions for their sophomore album, expected to be released later in 2024. With the music crafted by Orion alongside producer Young Khalifa and the lyrics written by each member of Orion, it marks the first release from Orion that features the talents of upcoming producer Young Khalifa, who has a role at Jadyn Ghalen’s record label ‘Royale Vices & Virtues INC’ as the labels in-house record producer and creative director. The single serves as the first glimpse of the new era for the group as they’re set to embark on the promotional trail for their sophomore album, with the single set for release on February 17, 2024 and made available as a CD Single, Digital Download, 7” Single and available to Weekly Airplay.
Song Description;The song begins with the rhythmic sound of percussion, primarily the sound of hi-hats and snares during the songs intro, the beat is modern sounding with a repetitive energy as Bellows delivers the intro with a rap pacing but with an RnB flavour to his tone, almost feeling like it’s being sung rather than rapped, the vocals for the intro were also recorded by Boa and Circuit and spliced in during production but turned down slightly to feel more like backing vocals to Bellows’ delivery as he sets the tone for the song from the outset,
“All accelerator, no brakes on this shit/We’re running on a different level out here these days/Feels like we’re training for this like it’s a motherfuckin’ prize fight/We don’t let this slip/Motherfucker we don’t let this slip, right?.” with its tone immediately feeling braggadocios and self-confident, as if they’re stating their case for their high position within the ranks of the genre or industry and delivering it like a call to arms of anybody that doubts them in any way.
As the track moves into the opening verse, the hi-hat and snare sound continue in a similar vein with a energetic bassline slowly coming into the track to add more urgency to the track, moving from the almost sung vocal delivery into the rap and hip-hop elements that the trio have become so synonymous with since breaking onto the scene in 2020. As the beat progresses, Circuit is the one to deliver the opening verse and between the three it’s generally considered that his vocal tone and delivery is more accessible in terms of mainstream sound than the other two performers that are known to have more quirks to their vocal tones, Circuit jumps onto the beat effortlessly and delivers against the increasing pace of the song,
“Gloves on, chin up, walk tall, king up/We take this shit serious/Despite all the rumours and the cheap talk/We got a commitment to the legacy/That’s why we’re in the booth when the time comes/We could all make the paper on our own name/But we’ve only delivered the first act of a three act play/This shit is our legacy, this shit is our story/We got our plan to take it to the highest of heights/And motherfucker when the time’s right/We gonna burn it all down ourselves/In a blaze of glory.” and with the opening verse in the bag, it’s evident that the trio have heard the talk and rumours about their implosion within the group and how they’re all vying to get ahead of each other in some way, Circuit bringing things back to reality with his words essentially stating that they still have a lot more ground to cover as a trio and that they don’t need the rumour mill and the press to burn the group down, they will do it themselves whenever they feel the time is right, essentially a metaphor stating that the group ends when they decide it ends, not when the press dictate.
We arrive at the songs chorus, with the sound of the bassline adding energy and urgency to the song during the opening verse it increases again during the songs chorus, the trio with their vocals spliced together during the songs catchiest moment, rapid-fire and concise,
“Never a comeback/Never departed/Stuck in your brain/Or we were stuck where your heart is/Never forgotten/R.I.P to the real ones/Gone too soon/Bitch we were barely gone/Take five, timeout/Back to your corners/Let’s not have a blow-out.” which again alludes to the seemingly regular rumour and talk of the group falling out, likening the image to that of a boxing bout. It gives the track a standout moment that can easily stick with the listener in a day and age where hooks and choruses are the selling point of a song in an era where attention spans are short.
As the song moves into the second verse, the beat remains primarily the same, giving out the energy required and adding a sense of catchiness to the song as a whole, even on first listen as we arrive at the second verse it feels familiar. Bellows steps up to the booth for the second verse to add his views, feelings and thoughts on the songs overall theme,
“Call it a rivalry, call it what you will/We call it a brotherhood/Long live the king/We’re individuals with different ambitions, different goals/Different lifestyles and different roles/Some are built to play the game and hustle to the top/Climb over the bodies of former comrades/To get to where they want/Others are built to keep it humble/Work on their craft/Say some shit that means something/Not generic shit/With its name on a golden plaque.” showing the alternative styles in vocal delivery, he adds nuances to specific phrases and his own rhyme schemes appear to veer slightly from the norm. He tackles the topic of the song from his own views, having always been the member of the group to highlight humility and the importance of backing up your own words with the work ethic and efforts required to get to where you want to go, he makes the link of ‘brotherhood’ with the phrase ‘long live the king’ as a sort of tongue in cheek reference, on the one hand calling it a brotherhood and in the very next moment matching it with a reference of one brother throwing the other to their death in order to realize his own ambitions of being king.
He also makes references to the various ways in which people ‘make it’ in the industry, stating how people ‘play the game’ in order to get to the top and betray their own friends and contemporaries in order to get to where they want to be as opposed to a route where an individual’s own talents and hard work are enough to force themselves into the conversation or a seat at the table, effectively. Nobody is specifically named in this and it’s likely to just be a generic viewpoint of how things have played out in the industry historically, but it’s worth noting that Bellows is essentially calling out the pageantry and hand-out nature of the industry and possibly society at large.
Although you’d expect a chorus to break up two verses, we’re immediately thrown into the third and final verse of the song, with Boa’s turn to step into action having been the subject and cause of a lot of the scrutiny over the groups rumoured fallings out and potential break-up just simply by taking the opportunity during a break in schedule to launch the first steps of a solo career. Again the beat remains the same throughout, simplistic and rhythmic as Boa delivers his viewpoint,
“Motherfucker, I’mma kill this shit anyway I choose/Ya’ll were smiling when we showed up/Cause everybody thought you were the one that was built to break through/But you took your feet off the gas/And these other fuckers started passing on the track/Didn’t wanna keep the engine running/So I went out there armed/Fired the first shot and didn’t stop gunning/Only my loyalty to the pack/Was the one thing that made me turn back/And they can label shit at me/Like I’m not a team player/I’m a soldier that can’t take orders/But motherfucker, know I never once stepped aside/I never once cowered in the corner for a safe to place to hide/I mean this shit for real when I say/No brother left behind.” and it’s delivered with an aggression and assertiveness that wasn’t present for the opening two verses. It seems obvious to say that he has a little more to say on this track than his cousin and brother respectively and he’s essentially done that emphatically.
It's littered with references, some more subtle than others as he takes a shot at the idea of the group taking a break in the first place, something he was reportedly set against which led to him continue to record and focus on launching his solo career, making reference to how he was concerned about taking their foot off the gas and other people overtaking the good reputation that they had built up with their debut and E.P as well as the huge hype surrounding them. He also makes reference to the talk that he was an issue and not a team player, focussing on his own individual ambitions but he ends the track in emphatic fashion by making it clear that he backs his bandmates Bellows and Circuit by simply stating ‘No brother left behind’. We’re then given the songs catchy chorus one more time before the song fades out.
“All Accelerator, No Brakes”BellowsBoaCircuit“All accelerator, no brakes on this shit
We’re running on a different level out here these days
Feels like we’re training for this like it’s a motherfuckin’ prize fight
We don’t let this slip
Motherfucker we don’t let this slip, right?Gloves on, chin up, walk tall, king up
We take this shit serious
Despite all the rumours and the cheap talk
We got a commitment to the legacy
That’s why we’re in the booth when the time comes
We could all make the paper on our own name
But we’ve only delivered the first act of a three act play
This shit is our legacy, this shit is our story
We got our plan to take it to the highest of heights
And motherfucker when the time’s right
We gonna burn it all down ourselves
In a blaze of gloryNever a comeback
Never departed
Stuck in your brain
Or we were stuck where your heart is
Never forgotten
R.I.P to the real ones
Gone too soon
Bitch we were barely gone
Take five, timeout
Back to your corners
Let’s not have a blow-outCall it a rivalry, call it what you will
We call it a brotherhood
Long live the king
We’re individuals with different ambitions, different goals
Different lifestyles and different roles
Some are built to play the game and hustle to the top
Climb over the bodies of former comrades
To get to where they want
Others are built to keep it humble
Work on their craft
Say some shit that means something
Not generic shit
With it’s name on a golden plaqueMotherfucker, I’mma kill this shit anyway I choose
Ya’ll were smiling when we showed up
Cause everybody thought you were the one that was built to break through
But you took your feet off the gas
And these other fuckers started passing on the track
Didn’t wanna keep the engine running
So I went out there armed
Fired the first shot and didn’t stop gunning
Only my loyalty to the pack
Was the one thing that made me turn back
And they can label shit at me
Like I’m not a team player
I’m a soldier that can’t take orders
But motherfucker, know I never once stepped aside
I never once cowered in the corner for a safe to place to hide
I mean this shit for real when I say
No brother left behindNever a comeback
Never departed
Stuck in your brain
Or we were stuck where your heart is
Never forgotten
R.I.P to the real ones
Gone too soon
Bitch we were barely gone
Take five, timeout
Back to your corners
Let’s not have a blow-out”
Credits & Personnel;CREDITSProduced by Orion, Young Khalifa
Engineered by Young Khalifa
Mixed by Orion, Young Khalifa, Augustine Francis
Recorded at Studio60 Recording Studios, West Hollywood, California, USA
Production Manager: Imani Jasmine Woods
Mixing: Orion, Young Khalifa, Augustine Francis
PERSONNELBrayton “Bellows” Carter – vocals, lyrics, composition, production, mixing
Jadyn “Boa” Ghalen – vocals, lyrics, composition, production, mixing
Jamal “Circuit” Ghalen – vocals, lyrics, composition, production, mixing
Young Khalifa – production, engineering, mixing
Imani Jasmine Woods – production management
Augustine Francis – mixing
Sound Alike;Drake – “Nonstop”
