Def Sound grew up listening to KCRW on the way to school every morning, so they know what they're talking about. “Welcome To LA” (Feat. Annabelle Freedman & Dr. John Murillo lll) is an anthem and a love letter from their soul to their soil.
“‘Welcome 2 LA’ is about showing reverence to the land, people and spaces that remind me of what home feels like,” Def says.
“The day I started making the beat, I asked Annabelle Freedman to give it a listen and beta-test the vibe for me. And instantly they began to sing the chorus within the first 30 seconds of hearing it. During that time, I was still attending UC Irvine and becoming closer to one of my mentors, John Murillo III, who was teaching a class called Caring For Black Lives and later taught me a hip-hop reflection course. I would joke around at the end of our classes via ZOOM and say, ‘o, when am I gonna get that Murillo feature on an album?” Then on the last day of class of the Spring quarter, I sent him a demo of the song ‘W2LA’ and he wrote a piece that was exactly as long as the beat was and fit perfectly.”