Bay Area rapper/producer Ovrkast. is in the midst of a quiet breakthrough. After gaining recognition for years as a producer for the likes of Mavi and Earl Sweatshirt, the Oakland native has been steadily releasing music of his own, most notably appearing on Redveil’s standout album learn 2 swim in 2022. After dropping three singles this year, including the rapper’s biggest song yet, “TBH!,”  Ovrkast. has released his first project in over 3 years, signifying a new era for the artist. 

‍RESET! perfectly emphasizes all of Ovrkast’s strengths, most notably his ever-improving production. Each track is highlighted by lush instrumentation, from the plucky strings and guitar outro of “Seamless” to the flute and vocal chops on the title track. Every beat is enhanced with sticky, simple drum patterns that make each song upbeat, yet complex. The rapper’s production is as cohesive as ever across six tracks while remaining varied, experimental, and ear-catching. He has grown as a beatmaker on this EP and he knows it, flexing on the first track: “I can use this beat in 7 years and it'll still be hot.”  While Ovrkast. has been known for this style of production long before his rapping career, this EP furthers his abilities as a complete artist. 

Ovrkast’s lyricism on RESET! shines as much as his beats. The rapper juggles themes of ego, purpose, and work across all six tracks, finding a new confidence in himself on songs like “TBH” with the “i’m really that guy” refrain. “Month in Brooklyn” is particularly filled with meaningful wordplay as Ovrkast. evaluates the trajectory of his career. The track perfectly demonstrates his ability to pull together complex rhymes with bars like “You know I had a verse so personal and packed with purpose, It packed a punch and made inertia, get to cracking curses.” The title track further explores Ovrkast’s feelings of “resetting” after exploring his upbringing and motivations. This track again contains clever yet meaningfully constructed bars, one of the more personal being “What a blessing I never had to pick up that smith & wesson to send a message, i wrote it in my book and kept it close to my dresser”. This EP is an exploration of background and self as much as it is a proclamation of growth, and Ovrkast. is able to weave these themes together very easily through his casual yet confident delivery. It is clear that the rapper is only getting better as a lyricist and artist as a whole. 

RESET! is Ovrkast’s first project in years, but it is well worth the wait. The rapper has cemented himself as one of the most exciting upcoming acts in hip-hop with this EP and he only has room to grow from here.                                         

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