Title: “Rookie of the Year”
Artist: Orion
From: “Orion” (2021), “NFL Madden 22: Official Soundtrack” (2021)
Release Date: August 15, 2021
Length: 5:12
Format: CD Single, Digital Download, 7” Single, Weekly Airplay
Recorded: May 2021 – Studio60, West Hollywood, California, USA
Genre(s): Rap, Hip-Hop
Label: Tric-Jam Records
Written: May 2021
Writer(s): Brayton Carter, Jadyn Ghalen, Jamal Ghalen
Producer(s): Orion, DeAndre Patton
Previous Single: “Dynasty” (June 26, 2021) [#01]
“Rookie of the Year” is the seventh single from American hip-hop group ‘Orion’ as they continue to build towards their debut album expected within the next couple of month. Although, unpredictable at this point it’s likely to be the final single from the album. Their latest offering will also be included on the soundtrack to the popular sports simulation game “NFL Madden 22: Official Soundtrack”, it’s also confirmed in an exclusive deal between the NFL and Orion that the sound will be the official anthem of the upcoming 2022 NFL season which has just moved into full swing with the 1st week of pre-season games kicking off, coinciding with the release of the track, the first of its kind as the NFL has always used instrumental music as it’s official theme. It’s likely to open doors for artists to sign similar deals with the NFL in the future as ‘Orion’ have the next years covered but beyond that, it’s likely that the huge corporation will want to keep things fresh with a different artist or group on board. It’s not known how much money was paid out for the deal, but due to the NFL’s status, it’s likely to be a particularly eye-watering figure.
With the release of their latest single, it follows hot on the heels of their previous effort, “Dynasty” which came out in June and was highly praised. In the aftermath of the announcement of the deal between the NFL and Orion, the group found themselves trending on twitter which led to some questioning whether regular vocal contributor ‘Marina Balan’ would be featuring on that track and get herself some of that NFL money, it was confirmed that she wouldn’t be part of the “Rookie of the Year” single but they would be collaborating on another track to be featured on the ‘Madden 22 Soundtrack’ where she would be listed as a featured artist, something that fans have been clamouring for a while. But due to her providing minimal vocals on the chorus and background vocals she was always an uncredited artist. This confirmation that the group would be giving fans what they wanted with an Orion featuring Marina Balan sent twitter into a frenzy and both #NFLOrion and #NFLMarina started trending worldwide on twitter.
During this exchange, the group found themselves in conversation with a number of people including popular influencer ‘BitchWat’ as she was the one who initially posed the question for Marina to be involved, this then led to ‘Boa’ offering ‘BitchWat’ the chance to star in the music video. Eventually this was worked out behind closed doors and the group flew the influencer out to their California base where they began working together on the idea for the music video before filming at a nightclub on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, the video was debuted on Saturday 14, August 2021 and became the most viewed video on VEVO, Apple Music Video and YouTube within that twenty-four-hour period. Of course the name value of Orion, BitchWat and the NFL combined to warrant the sort of numbers they pulled up in that period following it’s debut.
The track was written in May 2021, way before the NFL deal was even struck as it was intended to be just one of the album tracks from their debut record. As huge Football fans themselves and former high school players their love of the sport lead to them referencing various parts of that industry. It’s believed that the NFL got wind of the track and were intrigued enough to follow it up and request an exclusive preview which then led to the discussions of the deal and the song eventually being pushed as a single by the group and as the official anthem for the upcoming season. It was recorded at Studio60 Recording Studios in West Hollywood, California by the group and produced with the group alongside regular producer DeAndre Patton. It will be released as a CD Single, Digital Download, 7” Single and made available to Weekly Airplay on August 15, 2021 and all streaming platforms through Tric-Jam Records.
Song DescriptionThe track begins with an eerie electronic almost dream-wave indie-pop sound which could be likened to that of something played on a theremin which goes for around eight seconds before the beat comes in, mostly consisting of a drums and keyboards sound with the drums providing the beat and tempo and the keyboards providing the upbeat energy of the song as Bellows talks up the bands hype as he delivers his opening bars,
“All the talk in the build-up revolves around us/Green arrows pointing upwards signalling our expected trajectory/The rumours indicating that we’re a definite first round pick/But we know we ain’t just settling for that shit/We’re aiming for first overall/Cause that’s where the real bag is.” which likens the hype surrounding Orion’s debut album to that of the star player of a sports draft, comparing the period before the draft where analysts suggests what order the players are likely to be chosen in, with the first overall pick being the main aim. He continues with the sports draft metaphor as to be expected throughout the entire track, but brings in more universal ideas as he continues,
“They say you can fail at the shit you don’t love/So why not go all out for the shit that you want the fucking most/And the experts suggest that our stats don’t add up/But you can’t learn what we’ve got inside/From numbers on a white board/You can’t judge someone’s determination and drive/On stats written down/You gotta see us in the heart of the action/When the clocks running down/And then you’ll realize we’re in the running to take the fucking crown/Cause you already know/We run it up/And then we shut em’ down.”The trio then mix it up as they deliver vocal harmonies, showing off their ability to sing together when needed as they make it clear that they’re aiming to put everything they have into the opportunities that have come their way on the tracks chorus with it’s general tone drenched in uplift and positivity, a life affirming we’re gonna work the hardest for the thing that we want the most, something likely to be relatable to the mass audience,
“You know this is all I’ve got/And I’ve worked my whole damn life for this/Ain’t just here to blend in/You know I’mma fucking go for this/And I’m aiming for the top from the very beginning/On that rookie of the year shit/You know we’re fucking built for winning/On that rookie of the year shit/You know we’re fucking built for winning.”The song continues throughout with the same backing beat, it’s energetic and infectious continually threatening to go off but always maintaining it’s tone and avoiding the temptation for the song to become a club anthem. More suited to a gym playlist than a club banger, with it’s energetic beat just giving enough to keep you going. Circuit steps up to the plate next, the sport reference fading out a little during this verse as he makes things more personal to Orion’s very own rise,
“Where we come from, that’s the shit that drives us forward/Underestimating and overachieving/You should all already fucking know that/Made it to New York on our own dime already running up our road miles/They say if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.” putting reference to their own upbringing which wasn’t full of luxuries as their single mother worked many jobs in order to raise them right as well as their own journey which briefly took them to New York, working in nightclubs and dancehalls.
He continues over the unwavering beat,
“But when Hollywood comes calling/With an open suitcase and all the doors flung open/You know we’re gonna take it/Cause that’s where the real bag is/They say you can fail at the shit you don’t love/So why not go all out for the shit that you want the fucking most/Label execs, suits, checks and private jets/It’s a world away from where we come from/But we know we’ve earnt it/From day fucking one.” now referencing the life that they’ve worked for.
The songs chorus comes in again before Boa’s turn to close out the track with the final verse, his deep and aggressive sounding style and flow working well with the tone of the verse that he delivers,
“Stated this shit before, already staked our claim/We ain’t just passing by/We’re first ballot hall of fame/We don’t just exist/We’re here to change the fucking game.” referencing an earlier single in which they stated their expectation that by the end of their careers that they’ll be considered a first ballot hall of fame act, again bringing the sports metaphor back in full circle as it attains to the idea that they have a career so good that they find themselves put in the hall of fame the very first year they would be eligible for it, generally a first ballot hall of famer is considered the very best of the best, almost iconic status in their chosen field.
He switches that strong aggressive statement of intent with a slightly more playful ending,
“So if you on that come-up, change the playbook up/And maybe try out again/You could make the team next year/With the lessons that you learn.” as if to suggest that if you’re a newcomer looking to break into the industry, maybe take notes from how they have done things so far and they’ll be better placed to succeed. Quickly followed by the songs chorus which closes out the track. Showing a slightly more assertive and self-confident side of the group that’s perhaps been shown in glimpses but not as clearly as this track.
Music Video
ORION – “ROOKIE OF THE YEAR” – MUSIC VIDEOTitle: “Rookie of the Year”
Artist: Orion
Format: Music Video
Premiere: August 14, 2021
Length: 5:50
Genre(s): Rap, Hip-Hop
Label: Tric-Jam Records
Director: Orion, DeAndre Patton, Sara Brie-Loren
Starring: Orion, Sofia “BitchWat” Mendez, Elena Pinter, Various NFL Players
Platform: VEVO / Apple Music Videos / YouTube
The video begins with two young women outside of what looks like an exclusive nightclub, the women are portrayed by popular influencer BitchWat and an upcoming Danish model Elena Pinter. They can hear the muffled beats coming from outside of the club and they turn to look at each other with anticipation,
“This is the start of the rest of our lives.” says Elena to her friend,
“Bet. Someday we’re gonna fucking run this town.” states BitchWat emphatically and assertively as she places her hand out to Elena with palms facing up in the air, Elena enthusiastically slaps her hand down on top of her friends as they hold hands as they make their way inside of the nightclub. As they walk through the hallway leading to the main room, the music becomes louder and more prominent as the opening dreamy electro-beat of the brand new “Orion” track blare out over the speakers.
Starry eyed, the pair of young women glance around the room as people are dancing and having the time of their lives. As they walk hand in hand through the club their eyes are lighting up at the joy in the room and they find a space on the dancefloor as the music really kicks into gear with the energetic beats of the hip-hop track, the pair begin dancing with each other as the video cuts around the room and shows the crowd going crazy to the track. BitchWat confidently dances with her friend, playfully giving the stank face and double middle fingers to her friend as they dance, it’s a term of endearment and it becomes possible that the pair are closer than just friends as they start to get real close to each other on the dance floor, holding each other and grinding against each other, even teasing a kiss between each other before dramatically turning away to the beat of the music.
(Bellows)“All the talk in the build-up revolves around us
Green arrows pointing upwards signalling our expected trajectory
The rumours indicating that we’re a definite first round pick
But we know we ain’t just settling for that shit
We’re aiming for first overall
Cause that’s where the real bag is
They say you can fail at the shit you don’t love
So why not go all out for the shit that you want the fucking most
And the experts suggest that our stats don’t add up
But you can’t learn what we’ve got inside
From numbers on a white board
You can’t judge someone’s determination and drive
On stats written down
You gotta see us in the heart of the action
When the clocks running down
And then you’ll realize we’re in the running to take the fucking crown
Cause you already know
We run it up
And then we shut em’ down”
The scenes cut between the two girls partying in the club and the action shots from the NFL with the track and video likely to get heavy rotation throughout the Football season as the official anthem for the upcoming season. We see BitchWat and Elena dancing with each other to the song in the nightclub and action shots of the young rookie from last season Chase Young as he makes a last ditch block just outside of the end zone in his debut season in the NFL, we also see a couple more action shots from young NFL stars from days gone by which also includes a celebrating Lamar Jackson. The music is high energy, the type to get club goers and athletes both pumped up which is essentially the vibe of the video, showing the two very different sides appreciating the music in their own unique ways. The underlying metaphor of the track and video is the idea in having both Orion who in their breakout year have been seen very much in the same way as an early round draft pick in NFL would be seen and BitchWat who has seen her influence on social media see her very much in that similar way as she’s become an established name and voice within the industry in what has been a breakthrough year for her.
(Orion)“You know this is all I’ve got
And I’ve worked my whole damn life for this
Ain’t just here to blend in
You know I’mma fucking go for this
And I’m aiming for the top from the very beginning
On that rookie of the year shit
You know we’re fucking built for winning
On that rookie of the year shit
You know we’re fucking built for winning
(Circuit)Where we come from, that’s the shit that drives us forward
Underestimating and overachieving
You should all already fucking know that
Made it to New York on our own dime already running up our road miles
They say if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere
But when Hollywood comes calling
With an open suitcase and all the doors flung open
You know we’re gonna take it
Cause that’s where the real bag is
They say you can fail at the shit you don’t love
So why not go all out for the shit that you want the fucking most
Label execs, suits, checks and private jets
It’s a world away from where we come from
But we know we’ve earnt it
From day fucking one”
As the verses come thick and fast amidst the massive backbeat of the song, the scenes return from action shots back to the nightclub scenes, this time we’re met with the appearance of the guys from Orion in the club, it looks like the trio find themselves in the same place as BitchWat and Elena but in a more private area of the club with show girls dancing in booths we can see Boa interacting with one of the women through the booth and rapping as she dances behind him, we have Bellows looking down onto the dance floor where BitchWat and Elena are in the middle of the packed dancefloor and Circuit is sat at his table with drinks and women surrounding him. We then cut to the dance floor as the two girls continue to flirt and playfully dance with each other, laughing while doing it showing that they’re having a fun time with no real care in the world.
Again a subtle metaphor finds it’s way into this scene and the contrasting environments as Orion have their own world up there and the girls have their own world going on down on the dancefloor, two groups of people at what could be considered the peak of their life so far, in the same location, same business and living separate lives despite being the poster-boys/girls in their respective fields. It feels like it’s a way of saying that everybody’s success look different.
This becomes evident once more as the video crowbars in some more Football footage as we see New Orleans Saint’s running back Alvin Kamara bursting through a sea of defensive opponents to claim a touchdown and six points for the Saints, a couple of the rookie’s from this years draft see some of their moments from their college games highlighted with the likes of Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields and Ja’Marr Chase making appearances before the football portion of the video ends of who else but Patrick Mahomes flexing.
The scene switches for the final time to the nightclub as a security guy stood at the bottom of the stairs singles out a group of girls from the dancefloor, two of which include BitchWat and Elena as they’re offered the opportunity to go up to the private area of the club upstairs. They make their way up and grab bottles of the free drinks on offer, they see Boa across the room vibing to the music flanked by a number of half-naked girls, he gives a nod across at BitchWat as if to suggest she heads over towards him to join the party at which point she shakes her head, declining the offer. Boa nods back at her almost in approval at her not becoming one of those girls and as BitchWat and Elena turn to leave, they grab as many of the bottles as they can before racing downstairs being chased by one of the security.
{Boa}Stated this shit before, already staked our claim
We ain’t just passing by
We’re first ballot hall of fame
We don’t just exist
We’re here to change the fucking game
So if you on that come-up, change the playbook up
And maybe try out again
You could make the team next year
With the lessons that you learn
OrionYou know this is all I’ve got
And I’ve worked my whole damn life for this
Ain’t just here to blend in
You know I’mma fucking go for this
And I’m aiming for the top from the very beginning
On that rookie of the year shit
You know we’re fucking built for winning
On that rookie of the year shit
You know we’re fucking built for winning”
Credits & PersonnelCREDITSDirected by Orion, DeAndre Patton, Sara Brie-Loren
Lyrics by Orion
Story by Orion, Sara Brie-Loren, Sofia “BitchWat” Mendez
Produced by Sara Brie-Loren
Filmed on Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood, California, USA
Bellows – himself
Boa – himself
Circuit – himself
Sofia “BitchWat” Mendez – party girl
Elena Pinter – party girl
PERSONNELBellows – actor, writer, director, concept artist
Boa – actor, writer, director, concept artist
Circuit – actor, writer, director, concept artist
Sofia “BitchWat” Mendez – actress, concept artist
Elena Pinter - actress
DeAndre Patton - director
Sara Brie-Loren – director, producer
”Rookie of the Year”{Bellows}
“All the talk in the build-up revolves around us
Green arrows pointing upwards signalling our expected trajectory
The rumours indicating that we’re a definite first round pick
But we know we ain’t just settling for that shit
We’re aiming for first overall
Cause that’s where the real bag is
They say you can fail at the shit you don’t love
So why not go all out for the shit that you want the fucking most
And the experts suggest that our stats don’t add up
But you can’t learn what we’ve got inside
From numbers on a white board
You can’t judge someone’s determination and drive
On stats written down
You gotta see us in the heart of the action
When the clocks running down
And then you’ll realize we’re in the running to take the fucking crown
Cause you already know
We run it up
And then we shut em’ down
You know this is all I’ve got
And I’ve worked my whole damn life for this
Ain’t just here to blend in
You know I’mma fucking go for this
And I’m aiming for the top from the very beginning
On that rookie of the year shit
You know we’re fucking built for winning
On that rookie of the year shit
You know we’re fucking built for winning{Circuit}
Where we come from, that’s the shit that drives us forward
Underestimating and overachieving
You should all already fucking know that
Made it to New York on our own dime already running up our road miles
They say if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere
But when Hollywood comes calling
With an open suitcase and all the doors flung open
You know we’re gonna take it
Cause that’s where the real bag is
They say you can fail at the shit you don’t love
So why not go all out for the shit that you want the fucking most
Label execs, suits, checks and private jets
It’s a world away from where we come from
But we know we’ve earnt it
From day fucking one
You know this is all I’ve got
And I’ve worked my whole damn life for this
Ain’t just here to blend in
You know I’mma fucking go for this
And I’m aiming for the top from the very beginning
On that rookie of the year shit
You know we’re fucking built for winning
On that rookie of the year shit
You know we’re fucking built for winning{Boa}
Stated this shit before, already staked our claim
We ain’t just passing by
We’re first ballot hall of fame
We don’t just exist
We’re here to change the fucking game
So if you on that come-up, change the playbook up
And maybe try out again
You could make the team next year
With the lessons that you learn
You know this is all I’ve got
And I’ve worked my whole damn life for this
Ain’t just here to blend in
You know I’mma fucking go for this
And I’m aiming for the top from the very beginning
On that rookie of the year shit
You know we’re fucking built for winning
On that rookie of the year shit
You know we’re fucking built for winning”
Credits & Personnel;CREDITSProduced by Orion and DeAndre Patton
Engineered by DeAndre Patton
Mixed by Orion and DeAndre Patton
Recorded at Studio 60 Recording Studios, West Hollywood, California, USA
PERSONNELBrayton “Bellows” Carter – vocals, piano, lyrics, composition, production, mixing
Jadyn “Boa” Ghalen – vocals, lyrics, composition, production, mixing
Jamel “Circuit” Ghalen – vocals, lyrics, drum machine, composition, production, mixing, programming
DeAndre Patton – production, engineering
