After a gunshot incident which put Splash GotEm into a coma and cost him his left eye, the Boston rapper overcomes the odds with the release of his debut album “Splash”
At his listening party, Boston rapper Splash GotEm presses pause on his computer, beginning to tell the story of how he wound up chasing a music career. Exactly two years ago on Mother’s Day, he was visiting Boston to celebrate with his mom. After their day together was over, he wound up in the wrong neighborhood. Splash was shot nine times. Four bullets hit his face, which put him in an eleven-day coma and cost him his left eye.
As Splash was recalling these events, the wall behind him lit up with flashing red-and-blue lights as police cruisers drove past. JefeReplay, another Boston artist played a major role in Splash’s recovery, said, “We not trying to run from our past, we just trying to grow from it.”
Splash went on to tell the gathered crowd in the clothing store Laced about the dreams he had while in his coma. He shares that he saw his grandmother whom he never met in Puerto Rico, and suddenly woke up in a hotel with fellow musicians who were telling him he had to hurry up and get to the show. A confused Splash stepped onto a stage only to be greeted by thousands of fans. “It felt like it was so real,” he recalls, “and that’s how I knew this was meant to happen.” Evidently, Splash recorded his debut album Splash with the intention of fulfilling the dream that was put before him.
Though this is the first project released from Splash, he has already been making waves in Boston that have pushed him beyond the boundaries of the city limits. He’s featured on the song “Henny Sippa” with Donald Grunge and Fabzabove, a local hit and staple of any DIY Boston show. It was even performed the night before at the one-year anniversary show for Thrive Exchange, a local thrift store. I caught up with Splash after his listening party and asked him how important working with local artists was to him. He shares, “I work with people I really enjoy being around, especially those who have been there with me through my recovery.”
Splash is filled with explosive tracks sporting rattling bass and five features from his closest friends and other heavy-hitters from the Boston area. Throughout the project, many of the tracks have production which allow pockets for Splash’s raw punchlines to cut through to the listener. He suggests he is on a different level with the notable line, “I splash I don’t drip,” a stark contrast from the multitude of artists who constantly rap about their “drip.”
A majority of the album is filled with mosh-inducing tracks, but a few of the songs with features slow it to decompress, specifically “Splash/Stola.” A master of laid-back tracks, Pistola brings down Splash’s energy to create a more atmospheric sonic environment. Yet the bass on “Gordon Ramsey” is at its peak thanks to the production from Chris, and Splash keeps up with the intensity of the beat with an animalistic flow. The next track is aptly named “Ruthless,” for Splash’s flow and lyrics rip through the production, comedically rapping “I am the shit, just like some poop.”
Later on in the track list, “2 Seat” features Dezzi Dinero and is one of the few songs on the album to have any auto-tune on it. Dezzi’s singing offers a disparity from Splash’s raspy and boisterous rapping. The beat is one of the most experimental on the album, with the foundation of it being crafted around an authentic metallic sound, reminiscent of the hull of a steel ship cruising through turbulent waters.
If Splash GotEm’s intentions with Splash were to prove his prowess and that he deserved a second chance at life, he did so with this project. His energy is at maximum capacity track after track, yet evenly balanced with the help of local artists and friends. It’s clear that it’s only a matter of time before Splash is on that stage he envisioned years before.