daFinchi draws his name from the Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci, and calls himself The Renaissance Rapper. It’s not just a play on words, even though it’s some mighty fine alliteration; but it also draws attention to the dry, dark sense of humour da Vinci had – taking his art and inventions seriously – but himself…not so much. daFinchi, from Bridgeport, Connecticut, shares that easy wit and tongue-in-cheek self-deprecation in his debut single, ‘The Burbs’.
A catchy send up of a city kid who has made the move from the wrong side of the tracks to the good life over the other side, ‘The Burbs’ reminds us of Mackelmore in daFinchi’s newly minted love of all that is life in the suburbs: lawns with green stripes mown into them; trees on the streets, with birds welcoming the dawn in their branches; and most of all, peace. It’s the title track from daFinchi’s debut album, and with its laid back guitar and lightly buzzing reverb, plus the beat of real drums, it’s something you might well hear coming from the basement or garage practice space of a suburban mini-mansion.
The song comes with an equally catchy video, showing daFinchi having made a fairly smooth transition from kid on the street corner to adult in suburban cul-de-sac life. Directed by KDTV’s Frankie Fire, there’s a humorous element to the clip, showing that although you can take the kid out of the city, it’s nigh on impossible to take the city out of the kid. But while daFinchi is still freestylin’ outside the deli, the only gang he’s got to be concerned about is the Little League team from the next town, and his worries are stuff like getting the perfect stripe on his lawn, honing his tennis back hand, and winning the pie-eating contest. Okay then!
Find out more about daFinchi on his Facebook account.
