Addy & Nic - Sherif XR

Written By Michael Minton

I’ve mentioned Twitch a couple of times, so here’s the story. In 2020, I started streaming myself producing beats, because why not? I’m already at my computer doing something, might as well show the world. The only problem was I was at the end of my music-making career, and it took me a long ass time to come to terms with that. I felt a little bit dismayed, but somebody I met via Twitch, Chino, suggested taking my talents and using them differently. He had sent me some songs he was working on, looking for some advice, and I guess he really took what I said to heart. He told me that there are some people who do streams solely for the purpose of listening to new work and trying to help out emerging, up-and-coming artists.

Sherif XR is a rockstar. The sound, the look, the feel; everything about this is magical. He knew he had a hit on his hands (also produced by himself) and along with Humza and riptony, this visual rounds out an absolute gem that’s one of the best things the internet music community has brought me. The funny thing too is I didn’t really grow up with this type of Alt-Rock/Pop Punk at the forefront of my fandom. I did like All-American Rejects, Paramore, Green Day, but I never went to shows, bought merch, or fanned out like how I did with other genres, but it’s from that sentiment inside me that makes this track feel like a jolt of energy. In contrast, you can feel the influence of some of the newer rockstars in the last ten years, such as Juice WRLD (RIP), and how his influence in his youth inspired millions. These two aspects create an incredible blend of clean, modern music-making techniques with an absolute wave of nostalgia for those times when I was a younger, more rebellious kid.

“Gnawing on your face wasn’t bad at all, now look at me, betchu won’t wait just to catalog a mystery”

Sherif and his team bring that jolt from the jump. The fun-spirited intro sets a nice balance for such a polished, well put-together tale of love. Shoutout to the video people, with a beautiful wide shot of Sherif, between two green trees, on the hood of a white Miata really more looking like a movie scene than a music video. The tone in his voice is confident, the guitar is driving, and Sherif wields this energy like a magic wand, creating spaces in the song for his voice, and then cascading them with an array of sounds. Detailing his struggles with love, thru his verses, bridges, and breakdowns, Sherif commands attention, and you have to watch the video to really see what I mean. How can you not watch him?

Rockstar.

Stream “ADDY & NIC”

Michael Minton
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