Steve 'Flash' JuonNashville rapper Starlito (Jermaine Eric Shute) has been in the game for a long time. He was still in his teens when he dropped “Grey Goose” in 2003, but the 2005 remix with Lil Wayne and Yo Gotti really took him to the next level. If I’m being honest though I didn’t level up along with him. I searched our own archives for Starlito and only found him mentioned one time in a 2013 review of Cory Mo by Matt Jost. For whatever reason Starlito was just not on my radar. The term “Imposter Syndrome” means you feel like your fame is undeserved and you don’t deserve the spotlight or attention you’ve got. After only a few songs on this album I was convinced the opposite was true.
“Everything I love that I done cherished end up vanishing
Difficult to trust and I got issues with abandonment
Pouring out my heart only to find it ain’t much love in it
Ran my spot so hot, to touch the knob, you need an oven mitt”
I make no secret of the fact I’m searching for rappers who can scratch deeper than the surface. “NARCAN” is the words of a man who isn’t content to flash the superficial trappings of his success. I could tell Starlito was built different on “Black AF1” when he said “most of my suffering is self-imposed/self care equals telling them no.” Damn. Starlito is not pretending it’s all good and everything is beautiful. He’s thinking about his life, reflecting on his struggles, and searching for how to be a better man. Is this the same man who got famous for a song about vodka? Obviously it is but at the same time it’s clear he’s grown tremendously in both his confidence and intellect. Even on a posse song like “Ultimate Team/Road to Glory” the wisdom of his lyrics stands out.
“I ain’t gonna tell you, I’ma show you
I wish y’all let y’all logic get ahead of your emotions
I let go of my ego, got my bread up like a toaster
Living proof I did just what I said, like I’m supposed to be”
Starlito should definitely NOT feel like an imposter. He’s “having fun rapping” and you can hear it in his relaxed Nashville drawl and tight delivery. He pulls off that wonderful magic trick of making it sound easy, when in fact he’s carefully penning each line with the thought of how it would flow over a beat, then successfully merging the beats to his rhymes. Speaking of which I can’t find production credits for all of his songs, but The Colleagues come up repeatedly, which isn’t surprising since they frequently work with Tennessee emcees. I’m going to make you a promise — if you see them next to a Starlito song like “Stay Dangerous” it will sound good. They haven’t disappointed me once on this album.
Sometimes I get curious and look at the comments section for a music video like “Unblock Me.” The very first thing I saw was “Crazy how Starlito (has) been underrated his whole career and (is) still dropping bangers no matter what.” You know what? I think they’ve got a point. “Turn the speakers to a stethoscope, listen to my heart/This what it sound like when they rip my shit apart.” I’m not saying all rappers at his level would act like a pimp and shrug off a failed relationship as just another one night stand, but you know a lot of them would. Starlito is built differently. He’s a person with real emotions and vulnerability who is secure enough in himself to share them with the world.
I also can’t knock Starlito’s hustle for asking $50 for this album. Yeah that’s steep but I know a whole lot of y’all are going to stream it instead. We both know streaming revenue is bullshit and you can’t pay your bills let alone make albums this good on that kind of money. Do I wish “Imposter Syndrome” was a little more accessible to own? Of course. Do I think he’s wrong to ask for that much? No. I’ve seen hot garbage sold for twice the price to people who will pay just to say they own 1 out of a 1,000 copies, completely misunderstanding what “rarity” is. Something is only rare if the demand exceeds the supply, and if nobody wants your garbage ass CD, then there’s no demand. If Starlito isn’t in demand this album convinced me he should be. He exceeded my expectations in every way.