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Kenn Starr & Finale "Home Comes First" (prod. by Apollo Brown)

The fourth single off the recently released Mello Music Group compilation album, Helpless Dreamer, is all about recognizing where you come from. “Home Comes First” combines the talents of emcees Kenn Starr and Finale on the mic and Apollo Brown on production. With Starr and Finale both dropping albums on Mello Music Group in 2011, titled Square One and Odds & Ends respectively, and Apollo still hot off the success of his collaborations with The Left and Boog Brown, these three seem to have no trouble staying busy.

Apollo’s crackling, chopped-up horn instrumental provides a subtle enough beat for the two rappers to spit more introspective and serious rhymes. Starr’s lyrics focus on his native state of Virginia and current hometown of southern Maryland, and when he raps “I continue to carry the torch for the ones that I know are depending on me to see their dreams come,” it’s clear to see how much it means to him. Finale laments that “home is home / it’s the only thing I tend to think about if I’m gone” in reference to Detroit, and while he and his collaborator may hail from a different part of the country, it’s clear that the sentiments they share could not be more similar. “Home… comes first,” the hook repeats - something that we can all relate to.

The Mello Music Group compilation, Helpless Dreamer, is available now.