There will be no doubting the dedication that Deante Hitchcock made to the masses with the release of his sophomore album, Once Upon A Time, the first album in a trilogy in which the Atlanta rapper focuses on fatherhood and his relationship with the mom of his child. It consists of 16 emotional cuts that have been expertly crafted into the project, with appearances from artists such as Westside Boogie, Big K.R.I.T., DRAM, The Riverdale Love Choir, Dende, and more.
By way of a press release, Deante Hitchcock provided an explanation of the concept behind the album. “When I was about to reach what looked to be a turning point in my life, it seemed as though the entire world stopped turning, as if it had stopped for good,” he said. “Over the past couple of decades, I have watched our world change, and amidst it all, it has been my experience of giving birth to a son and becoming a father, and watching my world evolve as well.”
As Deante Hitchcock went on, “I find the word ‘son’ to be ironic. I used to stare at the sun in the sky until it became a bouncing ball of light that was almost blinding in its blue color as it bounded across the sky, but when my son entered this world, he brought brightness into my life that stood up to the brightness that was brought by its homophone. It is without a doubt true that he and his mother are forever in awe, and forever grateful for our angel, our Saint. I am not going to tell you in any fantasy manner how we got here, but I’ll try to tell you all about it the most effective way I know how.”
Upon A Time stands as the follow-up to the 2020 album Better that included contributions from artists such as Young Nudy, JID, Miguel, 6LACK, and St. Beauty. In the months following the original release of Better, a deluxe edition of it was released that featured nine additional tracks and collaborations with artists such as Ro James, Guapdad 4000, REASON, and Kenny Mason. Besides releasing his own music, Hitchcock was also featured on a number of other dope records, such as Kari Faux “Too Much, Too Fast,” Spillage Village “Baptized (Remix),” and Isaiah Rashad “Geordan Favors.”
