Deante' Hitchcock's 'BETTER' is a MUST-Listen

Meet Deante’Hitchcock, a 27-year-old prodigy from Atlanta, Georgia. The rapper, first well known for his viral car freestyles, showcased his development into a fully realized artist with the release of his debut studio album, BETTER. Despite him recognizing that he still has much to learn and room to grow, Deante’ Hitchcock is already one of the most versatile and well-rounded rappers in the game who may have slipped under your radar. 

Much like his music, Deante’s introduction to rap was unique. At the age of 11, his uncle assembled a music group consisting of Deante’ and some of his friends. The group would often perform and give out their music for free, and the experience allowed him to be where he’s at today. “This wasn’t anything I think I would’ve been doing had he not put me into the group. It’s not something I initially had some crazy love or passion for.”

Deante’s competitive nature allowed him to grow and separate himself from the group, with the love for the music following. “My uncle, he was writing my raps,” he recalled. “But one day I stepped to him and I was like, ‘I got one. I got one myself.’ From there, I was just tryna outrap everybody. Everybody.”

After getting sidetracked by other passions of his throughout high school, the rapper began taking his music career seriously while attending college at GeorgiaSouthernUniversity. His very first unofficial mixtape, 19Summers, drew no mainstream attention and little to no attention in the underground music scene. While it may have been discouraging at the time, he’s now grateful that it didn’t pop. “It didn’t really do what I thought it would do at the time. But I’m glad it didn’t… There’s a lot of stuff that I’ve learned from that point to the age that I’m at now that I would’ve needed going into [this]. You see some artists that get a super big hit and then they’re gone. They crack under pressure.” 

In 2015, Deante’ released his first official mixtape, WishfulThinking, and had been slowly expanding his fan base for years. This steady expansion grew rapidly when he began uploading his car freestyles to Instagramand Twitter. Many of them went viral, with the first couple already drawing attention from people like Wale and CharlamagnethaGod. “That really brought attention that the music wasn’t bringing at the time.” The power of social media quickly put Deante’ on the map, and he used the momentum to release his second mixtape, Good.

After releasing several EPs and performing alongside 6LACK on the “FromEastAtlantaWithLove” tour, Deante’ Hitchcock earned a spot on Dreamville’sRevengeoftheDreamersIIIcompilation album. “I feel like I’m the best at what I do,” he said in response to how it felt to work with so many talented artists. “I think everybody needs to feel like that. But when you get a hundred other guys who feel like they’re the best at the same thing, it doesn’t do nothing but sharpen you up. Iron sharpens iron, and everybody in there felt the same way.” His contribution on the “PTSD” track earned him his first Grammynomination and further established him as more than just “that car freestyler.”

Good and BETTER are the first and second chapters of a trilogy, and the third will serve as his farewell album. BETTER is a concise album with just enough of everything. The project perfectly balances technique and lyricism with catchy and “consumer friendly songs.” From upbeat and fun tracks like “I Got Money Now” featuring JID to more sentimental and slow tracks like “GrowingUp/Mother God,” this project encapsulates every aspect of Deante’Hitchcock’s musical ability. The album also features contributions from YoungNudy, 6LACK, Miguel, and St. Beauty.

“Whenever BESTdrops, I don’t know what the time frame is on it right now, but that’s gonna be the last thing I ever do. Ever. After that, I’m retiring.” Deante’ revealed that he only wants to spend 10 years of his life in the rap game, and that while music has become a passion of his, he is using it as a “vehicle for other things. But my original dreams had nothing to do with music. I wanted to own a pizza shop, I wanted to own a dance studio, and I wanted to act, but it just turned out [that] I was good with words. So I’ma use this [and] figure out everything else that I wanna do. By the time that 10 year mark comes, I’m on to something else.”

“I gotta make 10-year-old me happy.”

He promises that there will be more songs and projects before the release of BEST. Deante’ Hitchcock still has much to deliver to the world in terms of his music, and still has much he wants to develop. “I’m still learning who I am and tryna figure it out, day by day. All of these albums that I put out [are] gonna be a reflection of that.”

Deante’ Hitchcock’s BETTER is now available on all major streaming platforms!