Chicago Heavyweights Saba & No ID Team Up on 'Back in Office'
The track was released alongside a new music video.
By: Michael Major Apr. 12, 2023
RIAA gold-selling Chicago rap virtuoso and Pivot Gang leader Saba links up with GRAMMY® Award-winning super-producer and the "Godfather of Chicago Hip-Hop" No ID for a collaborative single titled "Back In Office." It notably paves the way for the release of additional tracks from the private collection of this dynamic duo.
On the track, No ID's throwback production tempers a simmering beat with bluesy guitar and lush strings. Meanwhile, Saba fires off one quotable rhyme after another as he reminds, "I'm from Chicago. We invented mobsters," before issuing a warning, "I filet a voyeur like I'm Oscar De La Hoya."
Building towards a chantable refrain, "Young Sebastian back in office," the track evokes Windy City soul elevated by undeniable wordplay. Directed by Ian Lipton, the single is accompanied by a cinematic stripped-down music video with a focus on Saba as he delivers his consistently hard-hitting bars.
Recently, Saba shut down Rolling Stone's "Future of Music SXSW Showcase" at ACL Live at the Moody Theater with a stunning set. Rolling Stone proclaimed, "The west side Chicago MC is a laidback presence onstage, killing you softly with his understated verbal dexterity." Additionally, he appeared on Planet Giza's "WYD" and dropped the acclaimed Few Good Things early last year.
Beyond amassing hundreds of millions of streams, his growing catalog notably includes the gold-certified "Photosynthesis" [feat. Jean Deaux] and the EARTHGANG and J. Cole gold-certified banger "Sacrifices" [feat. Smino & Saba], which graced the tracklisting of the Billboard 200 #1 album Revenge of the Dreamers.
Continuing an illustrious career as one of the most influential producers ever, No ID co-produced "Church Girl" from Beyonce's blockbuster Renaissance, which bowed at #1 on the Billboard 200 and earned him a 2023 GRAMMY nomination in the Album of the Year category.
Stay tuned for more from Saba and No ID soon.
Saba Upcoming Tour Dates:
APR 14 FRI - Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2023 - Indio, CA, United States
APR 21 FRI - Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2023 - Indio, CA, United States
JUN 9 FRI - The Governors Ball Music Festival 2023 - Corona, NY, United States
About No ID:
Super-producer, songwriter, and sometimes exec No ID (aka Dion Wilson) earned the sobriquet "Godfather of Chicago Hip-Hop" due to his early work with-and mentorship of-Kanye West and other Windy City icons. But he's also helmed Grammy-winning work by Jay-Z and Nas and collaborated with the likes of Drake, Rihanna, John Mayer, Ed Sheeran, J. Cole, Jhene Aiko, Big Sean, Common, and most recently Beyonce.
He ran West's G.O.O.D. Music label and was EVP & Head of A&R at Def Jam while running his own label, ARTium Recordings, which has served as home for Vince Staples, Jhene Aiko, Snoh Aalegra, Cocaine 80s, and Common amongst others.
About Saba:
As a successful Black independent artist, Saba has rooted his career in authenticity and musicality which has made him one of this generation's most important and unique voices. The Chicago polymath is fresh off of his distinguished third studio album, Few Good Things, which was a follow-up to 2018's critically acclaimed CARE FOR ME.
Saba's 2022 release showcased an album and film campaign that successfully tied in themes of generational dialogue, reflection, community, and ownership, with an emphasis on Black ownership. The Few Good Things film, which was directed by C.T. Robert, received a 5/5 from NME and was highly esteemed throughout multiple publications.
Saba began making music at age 9 and was writing and producing songs by early adolescence. Building a recording studio in his grandmother's basement on the Westside of Chicago, he and a group of neighborhood friends formed their Pivot Gang collective. In 2019, J. Cole tapped Saba for his platinum-selling Revenge of the Dreamers III. He announced the Midwest supergroup Ghetto Sage alongside Noname and Smino. Last year also marked his first RIAA Gold certification for his own 2016 single "Photosynthesis."
Photo credit: Mark Peaced
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