INDY RAP ART

“Boot Prints” by Levi Deadman Review
By Gabrielle Lamontagne

This song, “Boot Prints” by Levi Deadman, is surprisingly shorter than other songs, even in rap. The music behind it is a mixture of gentle and grating sound effects – perhaps created by piano and rattling chains, though the instruments used are unclear to me. The uncertainty of this seems to illustrate my confusion in how the lyrics fit together, as well. The first verse uses some clear metaphors and references to mythological and musical icons, but it doesn’t seem to make much sense after the first line. It’s possible that I’m hearing the lyrics incorrectly or that I’m missing important links to understand how they are meant to tie together with each other, the chorus, and the second verse. This contributes to my usual frustration with rap music.

The second verse is much clearer, evoking images and motifs of enjoying life despite poverty. The singer describes people who slave away to chase their dreams of riches and fame until they die, then explains that he would rather remain poor and have fun.

“I’ll stay at the bottom/Decay with the rotten/okay with the problems/…/won’t stop me from rockin’!”

It has a noticeably clear ending and call to action. Accepting poverty, the artist has decided not to let it keep him from enjoying life, and suggests the listener do the same by listening to more of his music.

The chorus doesn’t seem to relate to other verses, but more to the shooting of the music video itself. The music video was shot in a muddy area of the woods, where the artist drinks from a bottle (presumably of whiskey, though I don’t recognize the label and it holds the shape of a large beer bottle), stomps in the muck, and jumps or lies on rocks and a wicker chair. The setting for the video is obviously meant to defy the comfort of a “couch” and perhaps lauding northerners as tougher than southerners, though that is only alluded to vaguely in the lyrics of the chorus. Perhaps the “enemies” of the first verse relate to people in the South? How the chorus ties into the rest of the song is unclear. How the video ties in to more than the chorus is unclear – though it is far simpler to see how it could tie in to the second verse than the first.

While it isn’t my personal favorite, it’s definitely still has a catchy tune and is interesting lyrically. I recommend listening to it for yourself and forming your own opinions on it.

Gabrielle has been writing since childhood. She is currently enjoying her day job, but considers herself a writer first and foremost. She also loves to read, travel, and sing karaoke with friends.