Directed by DaRemen J and Rory Sullivan, “777” is the first offering from Newman’s upcoming debut album “LANIA”.

Throughout the video, Newman is seen watching himself on television, flipping through channels, and acting out various characters. In one scene, he is hosting a fishing show, fishing rod in hand while rapping and in the next, he is the subject of a basketball post-game conference (a stat line showing 50 points, 9 rebounds, and 19 assists subtly nod to the 919 area code of his hometown, Raleigh, NC).

The song and video arrive as a part of Newman’s “The Last Of Many” series, a bi-weekly offering of tracks from the rapper leading up to the album. Seeking to find new context outside of the regular Friday drops for listeners to hear the music in, the series drops every other Tuesday and Thursday.

Newman is a rapper, producer, songwriter, and co-founder of the Raleigh, North Carolina-based music collective known as Ten $teps Ahead. The first son of Ghanaian immigrants, Newman had a passion for writing in many forms at a young age before eventually falling in love with rap music in his adolescence. With a love of lyricism and soul, artists such as Kanye, Jay-z, Lupe Fiasco, Lil Wayne, and Pharrell were early influences. But through his own experiences and love of music of all kinds, he has developed a style that incorporates melodies, athletic flows, and experimentation, making him a truly versatile and dynamic artist. This allows him to touch on deep social issues in one breath, while speaking on his own trials and tribulations, relationships with women, or just having fun and boasting all-time competitive energy in the next. Through his collective, Newman's vision is to make some of the best music of his generation through words with depth, cinematic soundscapes, and ideas that challenge the status quo. 

Other channels depict Newman as a late-night host of the show “Late Nights With Newman”, while the final scene picks up in the middle of a robbery as Newman tosses a bag of money into the getaway car. The random nature of the characters reflects Newman’s desire to “keep ‘em guessing” as he states in the hook, and each new TV show does that and keeps the entertainment value high.

Produced by Ezreaux Damari, the song itself is an upbeat and cinematic energy boost; a distorted horn sample loops over thumping 808 drums reminiscent of a warzone before switching to a dark and soulful vocal loop in the second half. Newman’s flows are all gas no breaks from start to finish as he boasts that he is out to prove the distance between himself and the competition, claiming he is covered in blessings and has no time to stress anything. “LANIA” is set to drop in the fall of this year.