Nashville-based Baste Records has released their first hip-hop track with Hi-Rez the Rapper.
Hi-Rez the Rapper released his latest single “Triggered" with the label on Friday. The song highlights the Second Amendment right to bear arms in America in the context of a country appearing to be plagued by school shootings and other instances of gun violence. “Triggered” also touches on the recent attack in Israel by Islamic militant group Hamas earlier this month.
The music video features Hi-Rez unarmed while held at gunpoint with his hands raised as he raps, "Criminals get weapons easily / I want to get weapons easily too."
The track details historical instances of citizens being disarmed by leaders including Hitler in Nazi Germany, Fidel Castro in Cuba, Mao Zedong in China, Stalin in the Soviet Union, and Mussolini in Italy.
"If she gon' have weapons / And he gon' have weapons / Then I will be damned if I don't have one too," Hi-Rez declares before taking aim at public education locations being weapon-free zones. "Government buildings protected with weapons / Meanwhile schools are protected with signs that say we don't allow weapons inside."
"Triggered" also references the death of Hi-Rez's cousin in the 2018 Parkland high school shooting in Florida.
Hi-Rez discussed the subject matter of his latest single in a series of X posts.
"You may not want to own a gun, that's your choice and your right," he wrote on Thursday. "You may not believe in God and that's your right."
"But if something bad happens to you, you're going to call someone with a gun, and pray that they get there in time," he added.
In another Thursday post, the rapper said he's received feedback from fellow rappers who discuss murder and drugs in their music and say Hi-Rez is "too controversial to follow and work with."
"Hollywood and the music industry have created politically correct gangsters," Hi-Rez wrote. "What a time to be alive."
In a follow-up post, Hi-Rez said he wouldn't reveal the fellow rappers he referred to, though said they were "well known and famous."
“Baste Records, a proudly conservative music label dedicated to preserving the fundamental rights of self-defense, is thrilled to announce it has entered into a multi-year partnership with Hi-Rez the Rapper,” Baste Records wrote in a press release. “Hi-Rez, known for his thought-provoking lyrics and dedication to advocating for individual liberties, has poured his heart and soul into this song. His journey towards embracing the significance of the Second Amendment is deeply personal.”
“‘Triggered’ is just the beginning of what promises to be an exciting and impactful partnership between Baste Records and Hi-Rez,” Baste Records continued. “We are dedicated to providing a platform for artists to express themselves freely and raise awareness about critical issues, even when these issues are controversial.”
“After losing my cousin in the Parkland school shooting and researching mass genocides carried out by tyrannical governments, I realized how vital it is to preserve our Second Amendment rights,” Hi-Rez said of his latest single. “I am excited to be teaming up with Baste Records to release this edgy, taboo song because most traditional distributors and labels wouldn’t touch this with a 10-foot pole.”
Baste Records brands itself as the “counter culture to cancel culture” and the alternative to “mainstream music industry [which] is often dominated by liberal or progressive values.”
