HipHopDX Premiere: West Virginia rapper Ponce De’Leiouns has rolled through with his debut album, Ikon, and boasts guest vocals from artists like Rich The Kid and RiFF RAFF. One of his most recent collaborations was “Staring At The Sun,” which was featured on RiFF RAFF’s Balloween album, and he was also a guest on the RiFF RAFF and Rich The Kid remix of Dash Flash’s “Money Growing.” With 15 tracks, Ikon is a strong effort and an enticing introduction to the aspiring young rapper.
“‘Ikon’ to me is a rite of passage,” De’Leioun tells DX. “It’s an album. Not a mixtape—an album. Rappers comin’ up and rappin’ in the early ’90s used to dream of doing an album, not a mixtape. They used to think that was the way to show you made it, back before there was the internet. Saying, ‘Lemme just get this album out so people can hear my voice.’ With that in mind, I made an album.”
Listen to it above.
