afropunk premiere: porsh bet$ struggles to move “things in the way” in his latest video

Today, January 20th, Porsh Bet$ shares the title track “Things In The Way” from his forthcoming sophomore EP due February 17th. For his latest salvo, Porsh has returned with a hip-hop inspired synthpop rush, starkly capturing the rupture inherent within a long distance relationship. With pulsating synths and a bobbing dreambeat, taking true center stage are Porsh’s vocals. His wounded harmonies are supreme, cruising gently through longing and sheer charisma. Knowing what he’s missing out on only makes him more bitter, more determined to cross that boundary separating him from warmth and assurance. Porsh reflects, “‘Things in The Way’ is about the constraints of being in a long distance relationship with someone and the yearning it creates. I wrote this when I first started seeing my girlfriend and I was living in LA and she was on the East Coast”. We caught up with Porsh to talk more about his music, growth, and his future plans.

Can you introduce Porsh Bet$ to some of our fans who might not know you and what your musical journey has been like so far?

I’m 22 years old and originally from New York City, Harlem specifically. My musical journey has been brief but it’s been cool, going good so far I’d like to think. Like everyone else in the world I’ve always loved music and my grandma who I was around a lot growing up has always sung in her church choir. That’s basically the beginning of my musical background. I started playing with the idea of making music not too long ago and that’s how this all came about. It went from putting a couple of random songs up on Soundcloud to last summer dropping my debut EP.

Your breakout EP “I Used To Think Forever” was a success and got you noticed as the most exciting new artist of 2021, how did that affect your approach for the upcoming EP?

It honestly didn’t affect my approach at all, because before my first EP came out, I already had some demos and started working on my second EP, which is coming out soon. I’m very grateful that some people caught on as early as they did and for the support that I’ve had so far but I’ve always had this vision for how I want things. Obviously, you never know what’s gonna happen but how I put together projects, the aesthetic and all, that is something I can control so that’s what I try to do. One thing I can say that’s been different about my approach this time around is I feel like I’m getting more and more organized which is nice because that is usually not a strong suit of mine.

Listening to the new single ” Things In The Way”, I notice how the production has changed from the first EP, what influenced you to go this route, and other than M-Phazes, which other producers did you work with?

Yea “Things In The Way” seems like a sharp left from “I Used to Think Forever” but it feels really natural to me. Like a lot of kids my age I grew up on a bunch of stuff so when all those influences are smashed together you end up with songs that lean in different directions. I don’t let thinking about that stuff so properly interfere with what’s inspiring me at the moment though, because why let that get in the way? The first EP was really just scratching the surface soundwise but I feel like it was important to start there and develop it as I go. With this new project, I wanted to show a little more maturity and keep adding to whatever my “sound” is. But yea I got to link with some new folks this time like M-Phazes, Tele Fresco, and Blake Bigfoot, but I also tried to keep some stuff constant by working with Phil Phever and KooolKojak again who produced my first EP.

You’ve said the video for “Things In The Way” is symbolic of constraints that come with a long-distance relationship, in your experience, could you say you’ve overcome these obstacles?

I’m still with the person I was with when I wrote this song so I’d say yea lol. I think the biggest obstacles in any relationship are our emotions, that’s what tends to get in the way, not what the physical situation is. I’m definitely getting better at understanding why I’m feeling what I’m feeling and navigating that.

Lastly, what can we expect from you, and are there any exciting news fans can look forward to in the near future?

You can expect more music from me this year for sure and to see my face around a lot more too. I’ve already been plotting my next project too which is gonna be a mixtape kinda thing. Other than that I know just as much as ya’ll, I’ve been trying to appreciate right now more so I guess we’ll see what happens as the year goes on.  You can stream  “Things In The Way” Stream + Download 

Porsh Bet$ – “Things In The Way” EP Tracklist:

1. Neiman Marcus (Hollywood)

2. 2 The Weekend

3. Things In The Way

4. Here

5. Passenger