California’s Emmit Fenn links up with Chicago star Vic Mensa for ‘Pouring Rain’.

‘Pouring Rain’ is a sombre track with very dark overtones. This comes through both in the lyrics as well as in the melancholic production. We get very stripped back production with the strongest and most consistent part being the piano. The melody of the piano instantly draws you in and keeps you captivated throughout no matter how many times you listen to it.

Fenn offers vocals for the chorus providing a contrast to Mensa’s storytelling rap verses. The contrast is extended in terms of their respective messages – Fenn seems almost hopeful where Mensa sounds almost like he’s accepted the bleak reality he describes. ‘Pouring Rain’ covers the narrative of various generations of one family and its troubles with drugs – as both addicts and dealers. It paints a struggle that is ingrained in the minds of a lot of neighbourhoods in America. It tackles multiple issues,  the knock on effects of being from low income families as well as potential knock on effects of single parent households – it’s not a track for the faint-hearted.

The visuals mirror the story in the lyrics perfectly. They make the song that bit more powerful in the way that all good visuals do. It intensifies just how bare the message is, and also gets to build on the narrative in ways the track doesn’t. For example, during the last verse there is a tragic revelation about the main character and his son, with the visuals we get this contrasted with the current situation and the pair together when the child was younger. This heightens the message of the song for the audience member as you are forced to deal with the stark contrast of the two images and their implications.

However, not to leave things on such a dark note. Here’s what Emmit Fenn himself had to say about the meaning of ‘Pouring Rain’ :

 “The song to me, and why I originally wrote it in the first place was just this realization that we don’t have to face problems in our life alone. There are so many outlets for support that we can forget about and it’s important to realize that we’re much stronger when we face them together.”