“OK, bad, mamacita. She is so pressured!” “Can we have a conversation about Psalm 62? Felt upon your booty and palmed your t***ies too.” These lyrics come from the smooth sounds of Ghanaian-American Rapper Foggieraw. The two lyrics refer to Foggie’s singles “Independent Like Webbie” and “Psalm 62.”
The latter is performed using Alicia Key’s 2003 hit single, “You Don’t Know My Name.” More on that later. Anyway, we all know you guys may be a bit confused. With over 415,000 followers on Instagram, we will do our best to answer the question. Foggie Who? Foggieraw!
Foggieraw!
Born in the U.S., Foggieraw lived in Ghana, West Africa before moving permanently to Prince George’s County, Maryland at the age of five. A skilled musician in his own right, he grew up playing the piano before venturing into playing the saxophone. It wasn’t until he began attending Bowie State University that he decided to begin rapping.
He began his rap career under the name Jayo. After watching a 2009 Footlocker Commercial, he changed his name to Foggieraw. In an effort to escape comparisons to his contemporaries, Foggieraw uses a soulfully poetic cadence and utilizes old-school samples. In 2016, he released his debut EP entitled The Foggie Pound. This EP contains the songs “30 and 10” and “Drop 40.”
In 2018, he released his debut and to-date only album, Fogtavious Vandross, to critical acclaim. In an article from Elevator Greg Gaffney said, “Foggieraw has built up an impressive catalog by putting his personality first.” When you think of it, many rappers put their personalities first. A few names that come to mind are Kanye West, Cardi B, and Nicki Minaj. However, it’s not done the Foggieraw does it. He promotes a chill vibe compared to his boisterous counterparts. Psalm 62 is a perfect example.
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Psalm 62
On 2 December 2003, Alicia Keys brought in that year’s holiday season by releasing the love ballad ” You Don’t Know My Name.” 20 years later, during the Summer, Foggieraw released an interpolated version of the song. Known as Psalm 62, Foggieraw rides the song’s melody to produce an original, almost retelling of the first version. After getting clearance from Alicia Keys herself, Foggieraw announced on Twitter that the song would be out. While rapping the first verse and playing the piano in the video, the camera slowly zooms out to reveal he’s in a session with Keys.
As mentioned, Psalm 62 is an interpolated version of You Don’t Know My Name. In the song, he refers to a love that left the protagonists heartbroken. The first verse reflects on the times he had with an ex. After the duo splits, his ex finds someone new, but the two still see each other infrequently. The song contrasts the original version, in that Alicia wants to be with her crush. While Foggieraw is condemning how the breakup happened. But how did this get cleared?
Alicia Keys agreed to clear the sample but would have to meet Foggieraw in person first. “We were just talking about life; she was real cool,” He told the DCist. About a month later, Keys responded, met him, and agreed to clear the song’s usage. After 7 months, the song was ready for release. Foggieraw’s newest single, Destiny, is available on Apple Music and Spotify.
