Rising singer C.S. Armstrong has inked a deal with Republic Records. The Houston native has teamed up with Top Dawg Entertainment’s Jay Rock for his major-label debut single “Own Two.”
Produced by Mike & Keys, “Own Two” is a hip-hop soul anthem that celebrates independence. “I never leaned on another man / I learned to live on my own two,” Armstrong sings on the chorus.
Even though the song is about self-reliance, Jay Rock recognizes there comes a time when we may look to another person for support. “Nowadays handouts considered a sin / Helping hands was a blessing, when you fall in a ditch / World changing, people switch, that’s lessons to be learned,” he wraps in the third verse.
“It’s duality,” Armstrong explained. “Some people are like, ‘I can do it by myself,’ while others realize they can’t. Jay Rock executed the verse to perfection. He’s talking about those dualities because the tables do turn. There will be a moment you can’t do it on your own, and you need somebody. We all go through the cycle.”
“Own Two” is a snippet of what’s to come on Armstrong’s impending debut album, Shotgun, due later this year.
“This is the soundtrack to the movie of me coming up,” he described. “Those elements of me preaching are in the gospel sounds. You hear my hip-hop side from when I got jumped as a kid. You hear the Army side in the guitars. I made sure I touched on every element from my experience.”
He added, “I’m talking about God, relationships, and time. I’m staking my claim to who C.S. Armstrong is. I’m not afraid to show my flaws, because they make the story what it is. I’m a southern ambitious, passionate, vulnerable, and loving black father.”
Listen to “Own Two” by C.S. Armstrong and Jay Rock below.
