“MVP” and
“Off-Season” are the tenth and eleventh singles from American hip-hop group ‘Orion’, taken from their upcoming “Off-Season E.P” and the “NFL Madden 23: Official Soundtrack” as part of a major commercial deal made by the NFL and the group, the deal was signed back in the summer of 2021 and would see ‘Orion’ be the official music act of the NFL for the two year deal, this saw them deliver “Rookie of the Year” as the official theme song for the 2021-2022 football season and the song would also be found on the soundtrack to the popular “Madden” NFL gaming franchise. The deal also saw them deliver “Unstoppable, Unkillable, Unplayable” at the end of the season which featured Marina Balan on guest vocals for that track. With the release of this double-single effort with “MVP” and “Off-Season” it sees the trio conclude their obligations as part of the deal which reportedly netted the group $60 million in the process. They confirmed when they agreed to the partnership that it would be a two season obligation and they wouldn’t be signing on further in the future, with reports indicating that despite the huge amount of money on the table, rapper ‘Brayton “Bellows” Carter’ wasn’t ever fully on board with the agreement despite being an obsessive football fan, this reportedly led to manageable tensions and compromises within the group but the realisation that they the trio had very different ideas for the group and their output, reportedly still an issue that quietly lingers within the group.
With the arrival of both “MVP” and “Off-Season” it marks the trio’s first release since February, seeing the group take their longest break between releases as all three acknowledged that they needed to take some time to enjoy the fruits of the labour over the past couple of years since their debut in 2020. In a recent interview “Circuit” stated,
“We’ve legit not stopped working since we signed our first deal with Tric-Jam. We put that pressure on our own shoulders because we knew how important it was for us to establish ourselves as quickly as possible and we’ve burnt out a little. We couldn’t tour at that time either, which is the best way we know how to create a buzz about ourselves. So we just worked on shit day in day for two years. Between the three of us, we’re brothers. There’s only love there for each other, but we’re gonna clash and disagree with each other, that’s the nature of the beast. We know when it’s time to get out of each other’s way for a while and when we dropped our last single in February we knew it was time for us to dip. Enjoy some of the shit that came our way over the past two years and focus on we’re own individual shit for a couple of months.”In the same interview, “Bellows” opened up about his feelings on the collaboration with the NFL,
“Man, it feels so fucking shitty to complain. Like music, NFL and NBA have been my obsessions for the longest damn time. Then you’ve got the league knocking on our door and offering us this insane bag just to deliver them a bunch of songs. To me though, I was always hesitant to agree to it. It’s a democracy at the end of the day and you don’t want to be the guy taking that sort of money of the table and away from your brothers. For me, it felt too soulless agreeing to that deal. I pushed through. Truly, that’s how Marina ended up on that second track, I said if I’m locked into this shit then we’re at least gonna have some fun with it and we’ll bring her into this, get her some of that NFL money too and give our fans something to get excited about. That at least made me feel a little more willing to give it a strong effort. We tried to create the best that we could create, not the easiest shit to do when your topic is so specific but we tried to open it up a little more and I think we managed to create something authentic out of a situation that at least for me, felt very unauthentic. My boys and Marina got their bag though.”Both “MVP” and “Off-Season” were written and recorded in June 2022 and will both feature heavily in the upcoming “NFL Madden 23” soundtrack and video game as well as NFL programming throughout the upcoming season. The tracks were recorded at Studio 60 Recording Studios in West Hollywood, California with the tracks being available on all major streaming platforms as well as in a number of traditional formats including CD Single and 7” Single. They were both written by all three members of Orion and produced by the trio alongside DeAndre Patton and will be released on August 20, 2022
Title: “MVP”
Artist: Orion
From: “The Off-Season E.P” (2022), “NFL Madden 23: Official Soundtrack” (2022)
Release Date: August 20, 2022
Length: 3:43
Format: CD Single, Digital Download, 7” Single, Weekly Airplay
Recorded: June 2022 – Studio 60 Recording Studios, West Hollywood, California, USA
Genre(s): Rap, Hip-Hop, Soundtrack
Label: Tric-Jam Records
Written: June 2022
Writer(s): Brayton Carter, Jadyn Ghalen, Jamal Ghalen
Producer(s): Orion, DeAndre Patton
Song Description;The track begins with a light keyboard tone, giving off a royal influenced brass sound they type that you might hear before players take to the field prior to a game, it serves as the intro sound to the track before the music kicks in, lasting around eleven seconds before the tone fades and a strong hip-hop beat enters the fray on the track, giving it a familiar hip-hop backdrop as Circuit delivers the opening verse with his trademark low-fi sounding vocal range,
“MVP, MVP/Most valuable player in the game/I’m the one they look at when the chips are down and they’re looking for a clutch play/Outta nowhere, they don’t see it coming/Hail Mary down the field like a motherfucking bullet/All eyes on me/Cause they know I run it/All eyes on me/Cause they know I run this.” setting up the track on a trajectory that feels relatively obvious and by the numbers.
The energy increases immediately after the opening verse, the bpm increases and that hip-hop beat sounds a little more alive as the song progresses into the second verse, Boa steps up to the mic this time around, his deeper vocal range and assertive tone gave a more urgent feel to the track as he delivers his lyrics,
“Hand off the pass and my feet do the magic/Evading their traps is what I do natural/Give me a crowd and I’ll fucking smash right through/End zone in sight/This young lion is coming to you/Nobody can catch me/I’m number one in your fantasy/You know what it is/I know what it fucking takes/Etch my name in the record books/Put me up there with the greats/You’ll find my reels/No need to search for video tapes.” which helps to build up the track and offers it’s highlight moment in what feels like an act going through the motions and delivering what they’re contractually obliged to.
The beat then slows down a little and the keyboard tone heard on the intro becomes a little more prominent, trading off with the drum beat to give a mix of pulse and melody which allows Bellows to reluctantly deliver the final verse,
“Most valuable player cause I study the greats/I put the work in on the field/I don’t believe in leaving that shit up to fate/It comes with hard work/Hustle and aches/Miles on the grass, put in the miles on the turf/Sacrifice, I know a little about that/You’ve gotta give up a whole lot if you wanna be the alpha/Used to be out here as ‘Rookie of the Year’/But I know what my destiny is/Gotta get my fucking name all the way up there/Consistency/Aggression/Relentless/Obsession/Put my numbers up/They look pretty good for a young buck/Try to stop me/The motherfuckin’ MVP” and with the delivery from Bellows we come to the conclusion of the track, which feels exactly what it is designed to be which is background music to a video game.
“MVP”{Circuit}
“MVP, MVP
Most valuable player in the game
I’m the one they look at when the chips are down and they’re looking for a clutch play
Outta nowhere, they don’t see it coming
Hail Mary down the field like a motherfucking bullet
All eyes on me
Cause they know I run it
All eyes on me
Cause they know I run this
{Boa}
Hand off the pass and my feet do the magic
Evading their traps is what I do natural
Give me a crowd and I’ll fucking smash right through
End zone in sight
This young lion is coming to you
Nobody can catch me
I’m number one in your fantasy
You know what it is
I know what it fucking takes
Etch my name in the record books
Put me up there with the greats
You’ll find my reels
No need to search for video tapes
{Bellows}
Most valuable player cause I study the greats
I put the work in on the field
I don’t believe in leaving that shit up to fate
It comes with hard work
Hustle and aches
Miles on the grass, put in the miles on the turf
Sacrifice, I know a little about that
You’ve gotta give up a whole lot if you wanna be the alpha
Used to be out here as ‘Rookie of the Year’
But I know what my destiny is
Gotta get my fucking name all the way up there
Consistency
Aggression
Relentless
Obsession
Put my numbers up
They look pretty good for a young buck
Try to stop me
The motherfuckin’ MVP”
Title: “Off-Season”
Artist: Orion
From: “The Off-Season E.P” (2022), “NFL Madden 23: Official Soundtrack” (2022)
Release Date: August 20, 2022
Length: 4:11
Format: CD Single, Digital Download, 7” Single, Weekly Airplay
Recorded: June 2022 – Studio 60 Recording Studios, West Hollywood, California, USA
Genre(s): Rap, Hip-Hop, Trap, Soundtrack
Label: Tric-Jam Records
Written: June 2022
Writer(s): Brayton Carter, Jadyn Ghalen, Jamal Ghalen
Producer(s): Orion, DeAndre Patton
The track begins with an energetic rhythm section, the sound of a snare drum beat and bass combination making the song fast paced, Circuit steps up to deliver the opening verse, his vocals delivered clear, the trademark low-energy and mumble style of his delivery giving way to something a little more crisp and assertive as he provides the intro and opening verse,
“It’s the off-season/On my fruits of labour shit/It's party season/We gon’ get it/High-life shit when you’ve hustled all season/We wildin’ out here/Ya’ll know the fuckin’ reason.” which see’s the trio change things up slightly with the content of the track, making reference to what goes down after the season finishes and they have an opportunity to enjoy the high life that their abilities afford them, Circuit continues into the opening verse,
“You know I hustle in Vegas/Hustle in Cali/Hustle in Monte/With em’ girls from the valley/Champagne poppin’ while they out here droppin’/It's the off-season/They all know I ain’t stoppin’/And they say I like to make up for the lost time/Cause they know I focus on my shit when it’s game time/They get a little tired of the radio silence/But they know shit gonna get crazy/When they hang with the idols.”We’re given a pseudo-chorus as the trio deliver rare sung vocals, recorded individually but spliced together during production as they sing out over the beat,
“Sippin’ champagne on a yacht/Underneath the sunset/Private island for the off-season/On a different mindset/Partying like Pam and Tommy/Excess is what we do/We like it wild out here, like a tsunami with a view.” and it’s Bellows who is tasked with following up the chorus, he steps up to deliver his verse which he keeps short and concise,
“I don’t fuck around when it comes to the high-life/Only the best/Livin’ it up in paradise/Top shelf liquor/Only the finest green/Private jets, private clubs, private limousine/We don’t fuck around/We out here for real/Luxury is a by-product/Of just another kid with a big dream.” and is quickly followed by the songs chorus once more.
Boa is next on the microphone, the beat of the music and the pacing of the song remains the same repetitive sound throughout, Boa’s vocal delivery continuing to be deep and aggressive,
“It’s a private party, invite only baby/NDA cause things get crazy/Got a reputation to keep clean/Cause I earn all this shit down on the field/This is the downtime/We call it off-season/We going off/This is called freedom/Exclusive only/Cause that’s how we run it/This shit is unholy/The way that we hit it.” which again, is short and concise but likely by design as stated it’s intention is as background music to a video game. The songs chorus repeats again as the song fades out to its conclusion.
“Off-Season”{Circuit}
“It’s the off-season
On my fruits of labour shit
It's party season
We gon’ get it
High-life shit when you’ve hustled all season
We wildin’ out here
Ya’ll know the fuckin’ reason
You know I hustle in Vegas
Hustle in Cali
Hustle in Monte
With em’ girls from the valley
Champagne poppin’ while they out here droppin’
It's the off-season
They all know I ain’t stoppin’
And they say I like to make up for the lost time
Cause they know I focus on my shit when it’s game time
They get a little tired of the radio silence
But they know shit gonna get crazy
When they hang with the idols
Sippin’ champagne on a yacht
Underneath the sunset
Private island for the off-season
On a different mindset
Partying like Pam and Tommy
Excess is what we do
We like it wild out here, like a tsunami with a view{Bellows}
I don’t fuck around when it comes to the high-life
Only the best
Livin’ it up in paradise
Top shelf liquor
Only the finest green
Private jets, private clubs, private limousine
We don’t fuck around
We out here for real
Luxury is a by-product
Of just another kid with a big dream
Sippin’ champagne on a yacht
Underneath the sunset
Private island for the off-season
On a different mindset
Partying like Pam and Tommy
Excess is what we do
We like it wild out here like a tsunami with a view{Boa}
It’s a private party, invite only baby
NDA cause things get crazy
Got a reputation to keep clean
Cause I earn all this shit down on the field
This is the downtime
We call it off-season
We going off
This is called freedom
Exclusive only
Cause that’s how we run it
This shit is unholy
The way that we hit it
Sippin’ champagne on a yacht
Underneath the sunset
Private island for the off-season
On a different mindset
Partying like Pam and Tommy
Excess is what we do
We like it wild out here like a tsunami with a view”
Credits & Personnel;CREDITSProduced by Orion, DeAndre Patton
Engineered by DeAndre Patton
Mixed by Orion and DeAndre Patton
Recorded at Studio 60, West Hollywood, California, USA
Production Manager: Ignacio Santos
Mixing: Orion, DeAndre Patton, Augustine Francis
PERSONNEL Brayton “Bellows” Carter – vocals, keyboards, lyrics, composition, production, mixing
Jadyn “Boa” Ghalen – vocals, lyrics, composition, production, programming, mixing
Jamal “Circuit” Ghalen – vocals, lyrics, programming, composition, production, mixing
DeAndre Patton – production, engineering, mixing
Ignacio Santos – production management
Augustine Francis - mixing
