Hangman
by Dave

Album: Single release only (2018)
Charted: 30
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This freestyle finds Dave continuing his mission to put the world to rights. The South London MC kicks off the track by talking about people who show fake love until confronted with something they disagree with.

    I see a lot of man let their jealousy creep in
    Watch who you eat with, the girls that you sleep with
    Watch who you talk with, walk with, speak with


    Dave explained to Genius: "Those first couple lines was just like, the situation that I had gone through when I had written the freestyle, it made me open my eyes and just say that to world. Like, 'Yo, watch the people that you're around, and everyone that you think is your friend.' 'Cause social media makes everyone seem really friendly until the situation happens, and then you start to question all the people you're around. So, that was me thinking that, and feeling that and putting that into the world."
  • Nana Rogues supplied the instrumentation for the track. The London beatmaker's other credits include Tinie Tempah's "Girls Like" and Drake's "Passionfruit." Dave recalled to Genius:

    "I had worked with Nana Rogues on a beat before this one. So we had done a track. It's actually a pretty small world. I saw him out in LA. I know him through a friend. And then we ended up coming back together and making music.

    He was cycling through a lot of beats, and this had a completely different swing. It had a '90s hip-hop-type of feel. It had that sort of West Coast synth to it. And yeah, I sat down and said, 'Remove everything apart from the piano.' So, we removed everything apart from the piano, all the drums, the bassline. And we started again. And then he beat a beat around the words. And a lot of it was very minimal, no drums, just the pianos.

    And then it kicked in, and then a low bass line. And that was it really. The switch up at the end as well, a moment of genius from him. He just came and improvised some jazz chords on a light piano."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Prince

PrinceFact or Fiction

Prince is shrouded in mystery, making him an excellent candidate for Fact or Fiction. Is he really a Scientologist? Does he own an exotic animal?

Alan Merrill of The Arrows

Alan Merrill of The ArrowsSongwriter Interviews

In her days with The Runaways, Joan Jett saw The Arrows perform "I Love Rock And Roll," which Alan Merrill co-wrote - that story and much more from this glam rock pioneer.

Van Dyke Parks

Van Dyke ParksSongwriter Interviews

U2, Carly Simon, Joanna Newsom, Brian Wilson and Fiona Apple have all gone to Van Dyke Parks to make their songs exceptional.

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside Story

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside StorySong Writing

The in-depth discussion about the making of Jesus Christ Superstar with Ted Neeley, who played Jesus in the 1973 film.

Amy Grant

Amy GrantSongwriter Interviews

The top Contemporary Christian artist of all time on song inspirations and what she learned from Johnny Carson.

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New York

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New YorkSong Writing

Can you be married in one country but not another? Only if you're part of a gay couple. One of the first famous singers to come out as a lesbian, Janis wrote a song about it.