Chris Baello boasts as many aliases as he does talents. Hailing from Lake Elsinore, California, he grew up with a wide musical background that carried over to both his vocals and production. As Ginseng, he’s acquired an impressive amount of production credits with artists such as Night Lovell, Lil Tracy, and XXXTentacion. His band dream, ivory has managed to rack up over a million streams on various platforms. His rap persona Lil Wintr has crafted notable underground hard-hitters like “Dream Team” and “Priorities.” Simply put, Baello has the talent and work ethic of an impeccable musician whose art will last for decades to come.
Switching his focus to his vocal side, Baello shows that he excels at wherever he manifests his talents. Usually self-producing his tracks, this time around he decides to recruit producer VVSPurpp. Although the comments of the song are littered with the flattering new meme “This isn’t prod Ginseng idk if I can fw this,” VVSPurpp shows that he can still carry his weight by delivering the stellar production that fits Wintr’s vocals.
When crafting the production behind such a track, VVSPurpp kept things simple by starting off with an ear-catching melody accompanied by aggressive distorted 808 and stuttering open hats that keeps the production mesmerizing. VVSPurpp shares that, “The main inspirations were from the “Soundcloud Sound” in general, but I wasn’t trying to do the same thing as everyone else. I was aiming for a different vibe that was both cold and fire with the melody and 808s.”
Although there is not a lot of involutions in this record, the energetic production and Wintr’s dynamic vocals perfectly craft the excitement that is necessary for a perfect “flex” song. Baello admits that, “When I made “Cost a Lot” I didn’t really have anything too specific in mind. It was mostly just a generic flex song, with some specifics pertaining to myself and things I see. VVSpurp sent me the beat through email and I fucked with it. The feel and the tempo of the beat inspired the flow; I just wanted something that went along at the same speed.”
Wintr’s flow is as smooth as it is relaxed, and it is obvious that he wants to show off, opening the chorus with “I’m in the cut, lil’ boy, I’m not average.” Proudly rapping about his “racks” and his differences from the norm, Baello’s ability to show off is as entertaining as it is satisfying to hear. Stream Lil Wintr’s new song “Cost A Lot” below: