FVTV original music feature ·
23BadNews Puts Betrayal, PTSD and Section 8 Behind “My Anthem”
Behind the chant of “My Anthem,” 23BadNews loads the verses with a broken brotherhood, survival and the grind of finding work after a felony.
The hook on “My Anthem” is easy to catch: don't play with his money or his bread. 23BadNews keeps swinging that warning back around until it's the record's rallying cry. The bars in between are where he bleeds a little.
Early on, he talks about someone who used to be his brother becoming a snake. The betrayal lands because he doesn't dress it up. Anybody who's watched a close friendship go sour knows the difference between an enemy and somebody who knew your whole story first.
Verse two digs deeper. 23BadNews raps about PTSD at night, a Section 8 household and the wall a felony puts up when you're trying to find a job. Details like these give the track a life outside the hook and show you the pressure sitting behind the tough talk.
It still has rough edges. At just over three minutes, the refrain clocks more overtime than it needs to, and a few crowded lines elbow each other for air. His most revealing writing deserves a cleaner pocket and more room to land.
The chant gave “My Anthem” its name. The verses give it a pulse. 23BadNews has a story worth hearing, especially when he quits flexing long enough to tell it straight.