For this past New Music Friday, rising R&B singer and rapper Phabo released a new single titled ‘Before I Let Her Go.’ The song was penned by Phabo and produced by rising producer Damnfraka and the infamous Troy Taylor. (He’s produced a lot of your favorite R&B records like ‘Sweet Lady,’ ‘Just Came Here To Chill,’ and ‘Your Love.’ — Check out his songbook here!)  

You might have already guessed that ‘Before I Let Her Go’ is about how a smooth operator is ready to shift gears for a special woman. Phabo specifically asks his lady what she’d like if she were “under oath”

‘Take your puppy to the groomers while you at South Coast 
Always asking me what color you should paint your toes
Girl walk back to me so I can lick your lipgloss off 
She know exactly what I need that’s a female boss’  

Phabo’s pen pushes such a romantic narrative. The entire production is like a letter from a sly lover boy. To paint a better picture, watch the single’s visualizer below. 

In a statement issued to Rated R&B, Phabo explained that he “intentionally [paid] homage to the ’90s bad-boy R&B era” while also keeping up with today’s relationship scene. His assertion definitely checks out. If you listen closely, the instrumentals in the chorus strike pretty close to the background composition in one of Usher’s hits — ‘Nice and Slow.’ If you don’t believe it, go listen to the instrumental and come back to ‘Before I Let Her Go.’ 

The sample adds a new layer to the song. Perhaps he would like to take things nice and slow with the one he’d do serious damage for!

The subtle addition captures the beauty of sampling old jams. In an era where new R&B songs seem oversaturated with samples, ‘Before I Let Her Go’ stands strong on its own. Instead of a simple CTRL+C and CTRL+V, ‘Before I Let Her Go’ is fraternal to the original record.  

Phabo is a force to be reckoned with as he has written for Kehlani, Kyle Dion and Jahkoy. He also has his own projects out. Per his Soundcloud, you can find a few of his unreleased songs. You can also find his debut album ‘Soulquarius’ on all streaming platforms. (Some recommendations: ‘LNF,’ ‘Slippery’ ft. Destin Conrad and ‘How’s My Driving?’)

He’s also scheduled to perform for the Soho Rising Tour until April 11th. Be sure to RSVP!