ColdPoison versus Rampage Jackson! Yes, you read that right — ColdPoison versus Rampage Jackson, the former UFC fighter whose media persona was built on being a maximally repulsive human being. Homophobia? Check. Contempt for women? Present. Hatred for vegans and animals? You got it. Issues with his own son? That too. Jackson is a walking checklist of someone you can safely tell to fuck off, and ColdPoison decided to do exactly that over a beat.

ColdPoison raps like he genuinely has something to say, while managing to sound hungry. Hungry in the sense that someone with grievances against the world should sound. His new single “Sung to Sleep” kicks off with a beat that immediately makes it clear: we’re getting serious here. The production is assembled from old school DNA — broken kick, fat snare, samples that could’ve worked in 1995 and work today. The bass hits hard. The sound is dense but leaves room for the vocals, which is smart, because ColdPoison clearly expects you to listen to the lyrics. And the lyrics are the main thing.

Lyrically, the track is structured like a court session, where ColdPoison is simultaneously prosecutor, jury, and executioner. He reads out the indictment of Rampage Jackson line by line, and each line is a blow. And these are precise blows, without smearing across the wall. ColdPoison knows his target and hits where it hurts. Veganism here becomes a political weapon, and that’s the right move, because in a world where Jackson and his ilk consider compassion a weakness, you need to show that compassion can be aggressive.

The guy’s flow is solid. He switches between schemes, maintains tempo, plays with rhythm. In places, you can hear the influence of Eminem from The Marshall Mathers LP era — the same anger, the same desire to destroy an opponent with words. True, Eminem destroyed for art and personal grievances, while ColdPoison does it for an idea. And you know what? I think in this case it works, because Jackson genuinely earned a serving of hate.

Humor is present, but measured. The title “Sung to Sleep” is a mockery of fighter slang, and it’s amusing. But I would’ve liked more moments where ColdPoison allows himself to be a sarcastic bastard who ridicules his opponents to ash. Rampage Jackson provided so much material for mockery that you could’ve squeezed a whole full-length album out of it.

ColdPoison came with a specific goal — to smear Rampage Jackson across the wall, and he did it. The lyrics are biting, the production is solid, the flow is functional.

If you’re looking for conscious rap with a clear message and nostalgia for times when hip-hop meant something — this is for you. If you want to hear something that’ll blow your mind and make you reconsider your views on the genre — also come here. The track turned out solid, although… solidity is a word that kills ambition. And ColdPoison should have bigger ambitions.

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