Comethazine quite literally started from the bottom, and now he’s here. The East St. Louis, Illinois rapper, born Frank Childress in 1998, turned that famous Drake line into an actuality when he traded in his job working on the undercarriage of cars as a mechanic to become a fulltime rapper. Early success on SoundCloud allowed Childress to pursue rap professionally, and he quickly turned this break into a wave of success with his first hit, 2018’s “Bands.” On the track, he displays an agile flow that bounces around a minimal beat, quickly showcasing his signature blend of humor and sardonic nihilism that reflects the notorious neighborhood he came from. He raps, “I got a shooter and he gon' take off his knees/All it takes is two shots, watch his body drop,” before he adds, almost as an afterthought, “Skechers on my feet but I'm a rich guy.” Comethazine may be of the SoundCloud generation, but his vocals are clearer and atop the mix, while many of his peers prefer to bury their words in distortion and heavy bass. He matches the broken detachment of an artist like 21 Savage with the cleverness of Danny Brown. On “Find Him!” from 2019’s BAWSKEE 3.5, he raps, “Hook that boy up like some bait, I'm a fisher/Cook him up like fish fillet, then eat dinner.” But utilizing a beat that is so infectious and playful, Comethazine sounds like he’s narrating a fairy tale instead of a horror story.
