Title: “Unstoppable, Unplayable, Unkillable”
Artist: Orion
Featuring: Marina Balan
From: TBA E.P (2022), “NFL Madden 22: Official Soundtrack - RELOADED” (2022)
Release Date: February 20, 2022
Length: 4:38
Format: CD Single, Digital Download, 7” Single, Weekly Airplay
Recorded: January 2022 – Studio 60 Recording Studios, West Hollywood, California, USA
Genre(s): Rap, Hip-Hop, Soundtrack
Label: Tric-Jam Records
Written: January 2022
Writer(s): Brayton Carter, Jadyn Ghalen, Jamal Ghalen, Marina Balan
Producer(s): Orion, DeAndre Patton
“Unstoppable, Unplayable, Unkillable” (feat. Marina Balan) is the ninth single from American hip-hop group ‘Orion’ and featuring ‘Marina Balan’, taken from an upcoming E.P to be announced and the “NFL Madden 22: Official Soundtrack - RELOADED” as part of Orion’s exclusive NFL deal signed back in the summer of 2021 ahead of the 2021-2022 season which saw them release “Rookie of the Year” as the official theme song of the entire Football season for the first time in the sports history. The release of this single comes following the conclusion of the NFL Season as it’s likely to bookend the season and bridge the gap between the Superbowl and the upcoming Draft. With the single release, the track will be added immediately to the Madden 22 video game soundtrack and is likely to feature heavily on NFL programming in the lead up to the Draft Combine in early March and the Draft at the end of April. It will mark the final NFL based release from the group for this season, but they’re expected to produce next years official theme as part of the two year deal they signed back in the summer of 2021.
This release see’s the first officially credited appearance of Marina Balan as a featured artist having previously provided brief vocal performances on the chorus of a handful of ‘Orion’ tracks. It was confirmed by the group in August when the NFL deal was announced following a campaign from her dedicated fanbase on twitter sparked a movement for Marina, one fan asked whether Marina would be involved in any of the NFL tracks and Orion member Bellows confirmed that she would indeed be involved on an NFL exclusive track but this time as an officially featured artist which sent her fans into a frenzy as #NFLOrion and #NFLMarina both found themselves trending worldwide. This exchange also led to influencer ‘BitchWat’ a long time supporter for Marina being offered the opportunity to star in the official video for the first of their singles “Rookie of the Year”. Following the twitter campaign, it was confirmed that Marina would be penning her own rap verse on the track, known for her smooth RnB vocals that fit perfectly for the brief choruses for a number of ‘Orion’s’ tracks it filled her own fanbase with excitement at the thought of hearing what Marina could do with a beat in the rap realm.
When discussing Marina’s role within the group for some of the tracks on their debut album, Bellows talked up his friends abilities,
“She ain’t one of those powerhouse vocalists, she’s got more subtlety in her delivery than that. She’s got that smooth RnB vocal style, it doesn’t always fit every track that we create but where her voice fits in we’ll always welcome her into the fold. At this point, it does feel like she’s the unofficial fourth member of the group but man, we know we can’t hold on to her forever. If she wants it, she can step right outta this role and tear up the motherfuckin’ charts, she’s that good. She’s always full of different ideas and takes and I think her laid back style works well with us. Like she’ll just come by the studio and have a smoke with us and just shoot the shit, even if she ain’t involved in what we’re doing at that time. We love having her around and just vibing with each other, she ain’t bringing any drama’s to the table or any distractions, she benefits the whole project and when we need her to step into the booth she delivers fire every single time. We’ve heard some of her rap flows too and she can deliver that shit on beat every time. She leaves it all out there when she’s at that mic and we can’t wait to see what she chooses to do with all of that talent.”The track was written and recorded in January 2022 and will be immediately added to the “NFL Madden 22” official soundtrack upon it’s release. Recorded at Studio 60 Recording Studios in West Hollywood, California, the track will be available on all major streaming platforms as well as in a number of traditional formats including CD Single and 7” Single. It was written by the all three members of Orion, Brayton Carter, Jadyn Ghalen and Jamal Ghalen alongside Marina Balan and the track was produced by Orion alongside DeAndre Patton. It will be released through Tric-Jam Records on February 20, 2022.
Song Description;The track begins with a strong dreamy electronic backdrop which lasts for around fifteen seconds before the sound of a snare drum hits and a beat begins which immediately changes the pace of the song and ramps up the intensity, lulling the listener into a false sense of security, first up to the mic on this one is Boa as he delivers his verse with aggression amidst the rapid beat,
“Come put that shit in my path, cause you know I’m unstoppable/You know I’m always gonna find my way through/Holes in your defence like shit is so obvious/Can’t catch up to my feet when I’m in my flight mode/Your eyes don’t deceive you/Cause the stat’s that you’re reading are true.” which sets up the beat heavy track with what feels more like an intro than an actual verse, but it gives that aggressive fast paced tone that you could feel this track being used for Gym workout playlists and pre-game hype music as it immediately gives that sort of power and energy that fits the idea of the sports energy and fast paced energy of the NFL that the track is promoting.
We move into the first real verse of the track and the energy increases with the addition of some bass to match and complement the sound of the pounding drums, giving a pulsating energy to the track that it requires as Bellows is next to step up to the mic as he blends both the NFL theme of the track to the more personal perspective of relationships and life in general and how he feels people should act, giving the song more of a universal slant than just the general NFL theme alone,
“I don’t play mind games, said I’m gonna do it/Then consider that shit is done/Hustled from the bottom and look at what the fuck I’ve become/Raw materials is all it takes to get going/Crowds gather around me cause they know I always bring it home/Yeah, this is what I do/My shit’s on a different level/No doubt or regret/Hand off the pass and you know I’m a safe bet/Run it up, that’s where I’m at/Number one motherfuckin’ running back.” and he delivers this on beat perfectly with intensity as it moves to its next section,
“You can hit me with all of that real shit/But you can’t knock me down/I’m steady as a rock/You know I’m built on solid ground/I’ve fucked around once or twice way before you/But that shit don’t sustain me/The way that you do.” which leads perfectly into the next verse.
The beat fades into the background for a few seconds before coming back into focus, which helps to keep the listener focus as the female voice of Marina Balan arrives into the picture, he vocal tone familiar to what we’re used to from her with a smooth RnB vibe but the pace of her delivery and the delivery of her lines on beat provide a new perspective from her as she showcases her ability in the rap game,
“Listen, the people spoke and we heard it/People tweetin' and now they earned it /Whole life, bitch been tourin' /Private flights, now a bitch soarin'/I give you life, and you know it/Blaze the line of scrimmage, on my goal shit /Tryna fix what was broken /Cause you can never miss /What was never noticed.” is delivered with a confidence and arrogance that the words demand, blending her own reality into the song before she continues,
“Nights like this/From FCA to Chart Heat/From the sidelines to Starfactory/Took centuries just to get on the list/Cycled through change/Now my ego's on remix /Burned through flames/Eagle to Phoenix.” as the beat slows down for the finale of Marina’s appearance, it simmers as her final offering is delivered in more of her RnB style to put emphasis on the message she’s delivering,
“Listen, come back two, know my haters hurtin'/Space and time, all rumors, uncertain/Light work fine, brightens the darkness.Life's good, never said life was perfect/I give you life and you know it/Blaze the line of scrimmage, on my goal shit/Tacklin' what's mine/If you haven't noticed/Give a thanks one time /So savor the moment.” which adds the element of inspiration vibes to the forefront of this, using her own personal journey to add to the track and further it’s message.
Before Marina bows out of the picture, we can hear her sung vocals alongside the trio as they can be heard together for the tracks brief chorus,
“Man, they say I’m unstoppable/They say I’m unplayable/They say I’m unkillable/But real talk, it takes a King and a Queen to build a kingdom.” which is repeated once more before the beat slows somewhat and Bellows bookends Marina’s verse with one final verse of his own, continuing to play on the positive and inspirational aspect of the track
“If you wanna make it/You’re gonna need a bad bitch/That don’t take no shit, that you can fuck with/That’ll pick you up when you’re needing it/Through the best and the worst of all this needless shit.” which leads into a repetition of what he delivered previously,
“You can hit me with all of that real shit/But you can’t knock me down/I’m steady as a rock/You know I’m built on solid ground/I’ve fucked around once or twice way before you/But that shit don’t sustain me/The way that you do.”As the song comes to it’s final moments, we hear Circuit step up and deliver a repetition of the intro to close out the track,
“Come put that shit in my path, cause you know I’m unstoppable/You know I’m always gonna find my way through/Holes in your defence like shit is so obvious/Can’t catch up to my feet when I’m in my flight mode/Your eyes don’t deceive you/Cause the stat’s that you’re reading are true” and with that the music immediately comes to a halt as he utters his final words.
“Unstoppable, Unplayable, Unkillable”(Boa)
“Come put that shit in my path, cause you know I’m unstoppable
You know I’m always gonna find my way through
Holes in your defence like shit is so obvious
Can’t catch up to my feet when I’m in my flight mode
Your eyes don’t deceive you
Cause the stat’s that you’re reading are true
(Bellows)
I don’t play mind games, said I’m gonna do it
Then consider that shit is done
Hustled from the bottom and look at what the fuck I’ve become
Raw materials is all it takes to get going
Crowds gather around me cause they know I always bring it home
Yeah, this is what I do
My shit’s on a different level
No doubt or regret
Hand off the pass and you know I’m a safe bet
Run it up, that’s where I’m at
Number one motherfuckin’ running back
You can hit me with all of that real shit
But you can’t knock me down
I’m steady as a rock
You know I’m built on solid ground
I’ve fucked around once or twice way before you
But that shit don’t sustain me
The way that you do
(Marina)
Listen, the people spoke and we heard it
People tweetin' and now they earned it
Whole life, bitch been tourin'
Private flights, now a bitch soarin'
I give you life, and you know it
Blaze the line of scrimmage, on my goal shit
Tryna fix what was broken
Cause you can never miss
What was never noticed
Nights like this
From FCA to Chart Heat
From the sidelines to Starfactory
Took centuries just to get on the list
Cycled through change
Now my ego's on remix
Burned through flames
Eagle to Phoenix
Listen, come back two, know my haters hurtin'
Space and time, all rumors, uncertain
Light work fine, brightens the darkness
Life's good, never said life was perfect
I give you life and you know it
Blaze the line of scrimmage, on my goal shit
Tacklin' what's mine
If you haven't noticed
Give a thanks one time
So savor the momentMan, they say I’m unstoppable
They say I’m unplayable
They say I’m unkillable
But real talk, it takes a King and a Queen to build a kingdom
Man, they say I’m unstoppable
They say I’m unplayable
They say I’m unkillable
But real talk, it takes a King and a Queen to build a kingdom(Bellows)
If you wanna make it
You’re gonna need a bad bitch
That don’t take no shit, that you can fuck with
That’ll pick you up when you’re needing it
Through the best and the worst of all this needless shit
You can hit me with all of that real shit
But you can’t knock me down
I’m steady as a rock
You know I’m built on solid ground
I’ve fucked around once or twice way before you
But that shit don’t sustain me
The way that you do
(Circuit)
“Come put that shit in my path, cause you know I’m unstoppable
You know I’m always gonna find my way through
Holes in your defence like shit is so obvious
Can’t catch up to my feet when I’m in my flight mode
Your eyes don’t deceive you
Cause the stat’s that you’re reading are true”
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, lyrics, composition, production, mixing
Jadyn “Boa” Ghalen – vocals, lyrics, composition, production, mixing
Jamel “Circuit” Ghalen – vocals, lyrics, drum machine, composition, production, mixing, programming
Marina Balan – vocals, lyrics
DeAndre Patton – production, engineering, mixing
