CASH L3WIS links with Wiz Khalifa

For more than a decade, California-based artist CASH L3WIS has been developing a musical sound that flows across various genres. Hailing from Rocklin, he views hip hop as a space for experimentation, bringing together melodic rap, R&B, country influences and cinematic storytelling to create music that feels like a series of scenes. Across his catalogue, personal reflection sits alongside ambitious production, with emotional songwriting providing a counterbalance to the scale and impact of his sound.

Independence has been central to that journey, both creatively and professionally and as the founder of ESOT3RIK, CASH L3WIS has created an independent platform through which he can present each release as a complete creative project. By not treating the music as something that exists separately from that presentation, he places songwriting and visual identity within the same wider vision, resulting in an output that allows individual releases to develop their own atmosphere and personality while remaining connected to an exciting artistic direction.

His subject matter moves through relationships, ambition, confidence and personal growth, reflecting an interest in the experiences that shape identity over time. Reinvention is an important part of that process, with his ability to move between musical influences allowing each project to take on a different character but within those stylistic shifts is a consistent intention to make music that feels genuine to the moment, memorable in its execution and tethered to personal truth. Now, following the recent release of “Chrysanthemum Flower,” a cinematic hip hop anthem, CASH L3WIS returns with “Ocarina of Time,” a collaboration with Wiz Khalifa.

Once again produced by DopeBoyzMuzic, the single brings together atmospheric production, reflective lyricism and Wiz Khalifa’s recognisable delivery, exploring the passage of time and the relationship between who we once were and who we eventually become. The inspiration behind the track reaches into the world of fantasy gaming, drawing on the nostalgia and imaginative possibilities associated with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Originally released for the Nintendo 64 in 1998, the game became a defining experience for a generation of players while its exploration of time, destiny, courage and the transition from childhood into adulthood provides a setting for a song that frames personal development and the experiences that shape our lives.

“Ocarina of Time” uses the familiar world of a cultural touchstone to consider the distance between the past and present, looking at how ambition, memory and personal development influence the people we become. The game’s themes offer a lens through which those ideas can be explored, giving the track a story-influenced dimension that extends beyond its musical offering. Set up by the flutter of airy instrumental elements, hazy vocalisations ushers in the crisp snap of percussion as a rhythmic vocal hook hovers above, setting up a grooving hip hop outing that rolls with booming kicks, stacks of colourful instrumentation and slick rapped vocals.

With Wiz Khalifa’s contribution and DopeBoyzMuzic’s atmospheric production, “Ocarina of Time” brings recognisable talent into a project shaped by independent artistic vision. Tinged with early video game 8-bit aesthetic and peppered with the stellar interplay between CASH L3WIS and Wiz Khalifa, “Ocarina of Time” serves up an infectious hip hop moment that’s sure to win over listeners around the world.

Landing as another impressive release on the ESOT3RIK imprint, it’s an epic new release from CASH L3WIS as he continues to shine with each move. It builds on CASH L3WIS’s interest in using cultural inspiration as a starting point for personal storytelling and as his catalogue expands, the ability to move between influences while maintaining a steadfast creative direction remains central to his journey.

Listen to CASH L3WIS below