Noah-O’s Monument Avenue album, perhaps the biggest hip hop release to come out of RVA last year, continues to yield prime-quality singles 9 months after its initial release. This brand new one is “Never Going Back,” a track you may not have heard if you only picked up the digital version.
Noah-O’s Monument Avenue album, perhaps the biggest hip hop release to come out of RVA last year, continues to yield prime-quality singles 9 months after its initial release. This brand new one is “Never Going Back,” a track you may not have heard if you only picked up the digital version. Released only as a bonus track on the CD/DVD version of the album, this track nonetheless matches the quality level of the main album, matching a wistful musical feel with the sort of positive message Noah-O is known for. Produced, as with all of the tracks on Monument Avenue, by Taylor Whitelow, “Never Going Back” is built around a minor-key piano loop. Noah-O rides the beat, telling a tale about his childhood economic circumstances and the work he’s had to do to get where he is today. It’s obvious that he’s had to struggle, but the fact that he takes that struggle and turns it into a positive message about doing whatever it takes to make things better for himself and his family that sets him apart and takes his work a cut above the average.
Where the video is concerned, the imagery only further underscores the song’s lyrical message. We see Noah-O move through a typical day in the life, hanging around the house with his family in the morning. This video must have been shot after Christmas but before kids go back to school, because the Christmas tree is still up and the kids are playing with their new toys. Eventually, Noah heads off to work, driving the streets of Richmond on a cold winter’s day before arriving at the studio to spit the last verse. This dude may not be rich and famous (yet), but this video makes clear that he’s living a good life, and he’s going to do whatever he needs to do to preserve that. If you need inspiration, this is a great place to obtain it.
Copies of the CD/DVD version of Monument Avenue are still available from monumentavenue.bandcamp.com–grab one for yourself and enjoy this track anytime!
By Andrew Necci
