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Music

Watch Key! and ManManSavage's "Keep the Piece" Video and Get to Know Atlanta a Little Better

Some familiar faces make an appearance.

On Tuesday night, I watched Key! perform, and it was awesome. Key! makes music with a unique energy, rapping in a way that feels both restrained and wildly energetic. Rather than beating you over the head with an idea, his songs hold back just a little, letting single words or phrases linger in space for just a moment longer than you might expect, and, in doing so, slowly worm their way into your brain. It's a balance between wild turn up energy and classically oriented street rap that works very well and seems totally right now—minimal but fun and just a little menacing.

In the video for "Keep the Piece," we get a similar tone, which is to say it's mostly just a Key! show that is also a party that happens to be attended by a who's who of Atlanta's young creative class. Makonnen, TM88, and a few other familiar faces make appearances, a reminder that, after features on two of the moment's most exciting viral hits (OG Maco's "U Guessed It" and Father's "Look at Wrist") Key! is basically in line to be Atlanta's next breakout rapper. So, if you haven't been paying attention, check out "Keep the Piece," featuring ManManSavage and produced by Chris Fresh, above.