Ears Wide Open: Aundrey Guillaume

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Aundrey Guillaume (Photo by Brandon Black)

Aundrey Guillaume’s road to becoming a hotly tipped rap artist started in Beaumont. Born Cameron Aundrey Williams as the youngest of nine children, he grew up performing drums with his siblings at church. His command of making his vocals a percussive weapon shines on his releases so far, whether purling his life lessons over R&B production or booming them over hard-hitting bass.

Guillaume debuted last year with the EP “Violet” and followed in May with another, “Energy.” It’s highlighted by the closing track, “Refund,” a song the artist called “a self-awareness record.” He’s conscious of what’s going on in the hip-hop universe and what his place might be in it — “I ain’t buying none of that shit you talking about,” he declares and reminds himself to “wipe the foggy windows because you might see illusions.”

“Energy,” on which Guillaume worked with the producer Bregma, was released via Secretly Canadian. But his single “Dungeon,” released in November, finds him newly signed to the label Drink Sum Wtr, part of the recently formed All Flowers Group, a partnership between Ghostly International and Secretly.

Grammy-winning producer-engineer Anthony Kilhoffer assists Guillaume with explosives that detonate on “Dungeon,” a pulsating electro track that uses effects to great effect. “Everyone has their own dungeon that they’re going through,” Guillaume says, “and I hope this record could help the listener in any way possible.”

||| Stream: “Dungeon”

||| Also: Watch the video for “Refund”

||| Also: Stream the “Energy” EP in its entirety

||| Live: Aundrey Guillaume performs Monday, Dec. 19, at It’s a School Night at Bardot, along with Your Grandparents, the Moon and ARDN. Tickets.