Music
25 Jan 21

Track of the Day: Aaron J feat. Dillon Ward - 'Like That'

Lyrics symbolising the value of staying true to your roots, breaking away from societal standards and putting yourself first in a toxic relationship are all addressed alongside a hard-hitting beat.

Creating independent, bedroom-produced hip-hop tracks with as many instruments as possible is a passion for Dillon Ward.

Releasing a slew of tracks in 2020, from 'Watered Eyes' and 'Say My Name' to 'Monsters' and his most recent solo song 'Same?'; Ward has now paired up with fellow Irish hip-hop artist Aaron J on 'Like That'.

While making the beat and already having a hook laid down, Aaron came over to Dillon's bedroom studio late evening after work and heard what he was working on. Aaron instantly put on the headphones and Dillon just pressed record - one take was all that was needed.

"I want this song to represent what you can achieve as an independent artist in 2021," Dillon Ward tells Hot Press of the lockdown-created track.

"That you can create something in your bedroom that stands side by side with industry records. It’s about standing on your own and separating yourself from social expectations. You have everything you need. Now go and execute."

Rapper and singer-songwriter Aaron J brings his own style of hip-hop to the mix, blending punk with the genre to turn heads. His latest release 'Who U Are' garnered over 20,000 streams in less than two weeks, and his 2018 single ‘Show Pain' has since amassed an impressive 350,000 streams.

“I just let whatever I was feeling & the way I was treated come out onto the track. I didn’t even write my verse. It was off the top of my head,” Aaron J said of the process behind 'Like That'.

Listen to the Hot Press Track of the Day, 'Like That', below: