Step-by-step, Kemba has built a pathway from the underground over the last decade and change. The Bronx, New York MC previously known as YC The Cynic now has a major label deal and a forthcoming album honoring his late mother (Gilda). “Nobody I Can Trust” is the biggest set-up to that Universal Republic Records release thus far. It depicts the BX artist transplanted in a post-modern Pleasantville. In “Smalltown USA,” Kemba sees and feels prejudice due to his race every day. A series of sequences captures this feeling, set to the charged-up beat.

“‘Nobody I Can Trust’ comes at a point where I feel super isolated after the loss of my mom and not being able to process it, isolating myself from friends and family,” Kemba told Billboard, who premiered the song. “The video has a socially-conscious angle because being socially conscious is part of who I am,” he continues. “It felt good to get back to a familiar place, especially at a time like this. I’ve also seen people who have been like the main character, who have focused on their own well-being and ignored everyone else’s plight until it comes knocking at their door.”

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According to Kemba, “Nobody I Can Trust” isn’t the only song on Gilda that will tackle emotional topics. The rapper says his major label debut will focus on the stages of grief he felt after his mother passed away. “Before the incident happened life was very lighthearted, and so the music reflects that spirit,” he says. “And then there’s a transition and it gets very dark. After my mom passed, I started to lose myself and isolate myself, and the music reflects that. It forced me to go through those emotions, look in the mirror and properly grieve so that I could move on. After a while, I had to go through life, even though I couldn’t do it the same way as before. Now, I’m doing what I can trying to make her proud.”

Previously, the MC released “Exhale,” featuring Smino.