Upcoming rapper and Texas Native Norman Sann is an independent artist in nearly the most literal sense of the word. Despite not currently being attached to any larger record industry entity, Sann has gained an impressive amount of traction for his music purely on his own efforts. Amassing a sizable following on social media via YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram within a relatively short period of time, Sann made a name for himself on his clever, socially conscious lyricism and razor-sharp wordplay, both delivered in a instantly recognizable flow. Those familiar with his career to this point have seen seen his popularity on a constant incline, and his recently released LP The Audition continues this indomitable trend of upward mobility. “Schedule I,” the album’s third track, proves exactly why Sann’s unique take on the genre has been so immediately well-received, being itself a brief but potent sample of the various factors that define his singular voice.
“Schedule I” wastes no time in diving into a heady, subby hip-hop groove, timeless in the sense that it recalls innumerable genre staples, while slightly demented by its off-color synth ornaments – a perfect sonic match for Sann’s classic yet off-kilter flow. While Sann’s subject matter in “Schedule I” may not as thematically heavy as some of his other work, his approach here to less topically cumbersome fare still proves his reputation as a word-smith is well-earned. Within the span of a handful of verses, Sann drops line after line of rhetorically loaded ironicisms and self-professed “double-double entendres” amidst a bevy of cultural references to figures as diverse as fellow rapper Kid Cudi to Power Rangers villains (a welcome treat for those of us who still remember the Master of Disaster, Ivan Ooze).
“Schedule I,” much like its parent album, is an unadulterated expression of Norman Sann’s sharp, consistently refreshing approach to the rap game. Even when tackling topics as well-documented in the genre sphere as attraction or popularity, Sann never falters in wielding language like a saber, with a keen command of wordplay refined to an acute edge.