Seattle artist RchoiceBelieve isn’t trying to make algorithm music. He’s not chasing a clean commercial sound, viral dance clips, or polished industry formulas. “iGeneration” feels more like a layered conversation between generations, cities, struggles, and artists trying to process what growing up in America during the 2020s actually feels like.
The record blends folk guitar loops, trap drums, synth textures, jazz-inspired transitions, and raw Seattle rap energy into something that feels intentionally imperfect in the best way possible. It’s part protest record, part daydream, part community reflection.
At the center of it all is a message about trying to stay human during a time when social media, politics, division, violence, and nonstop internet culture have pulled people further away from each other.
RchoiceBelieve described the concept as imagining what a hippie from the 1960s might sound like if they were growing up during the modern smartphone era.
“I was listening to a lot of folk music and Kid Cudi at this time in my life,” he explained. “I wanted to imitate that 1960s mindset with the lyrics and hip-hop influence.”
That tension between old-school consciousness and modern production gives “iGeneration” its identity. The song pulls influence from Bob Dylan, Kid Cudi, The Doors, Citizen Cope, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Seattle indie scenes, and West Coast rap culture all at once without sounding forced.
Instead of feeling like genre fusion for the sake of aesthetics, the record feels rooted in the Pacific Northwest itself. RchoiceBelieve says the chorus and early writing process centered around one core idea, nurturing people instead of feeding into constant negativity online.
“To nurture nature means helping nurture fellow humans,” he said. “The chorus and first rap verse are about being conscious of the hardships Americans go through in society. It’s a reminder to lend a helpful hand to others when you can, not just focus on the gloom of politics on social media.”
That perspective becomes even more important once Fatal Lucciauno enters the song around the 1:42 mark.
For anyone familiar with Seattle hip-hop, Fatal Lucciauno’s presence immediately changes the energy of the record. His voice carries weight because it comes from lived experience. His verses don’t feel theoretical or performative. They feel like observations from somebody who has seen the realities of Seattle neighborhoods evolve over time.
RchoiceBelieve specifically wanted Fatal’s contribution to represent the real Seattle perspective he couldn’t fully capture alone.
“He is a great lyricist,” he said. “Those earlier videos of Fatal with Raz created by Jake Hill and Black Umbrella in the 2010s were very inspirational.”
Producer Mario Casalini immediately understood the vision once he heard the record developing.
“When I heard ‘iGeneration,’ I wanted Fatal Lucciauno on the song,” Casalini explained. “He’s a real friend to me and is one of my favorite artists. Most of what I’m known for is my work with Tech N9ne and Strange Music, so this felt new to me. I saw the original vision and followed my instinct.”
Casalini’s role became a major part of shaping the emotional transitions throughout the song, especially once the production evolved beyond its original folk-inspired framework.
“The key was adding synth pieces and mixing in the vocals and musical pieces from musicians who all did an amazing job,” he said.
Fatal says the emotional weight behind his verse came directly from personal experience navigating violence, incarceration, and survival in Seattle communities.
“Understanding the viewpoint of the youth in our city from going to prison for a drive by shooting,” Fatal explained. “Being a reformed crashout and gang leader put me around so many different walks of life that share one commonality, hurt.”
That pain became central to how he approached the record.
“That hurt resonates with the gamer, ‘playing Minecraft, stuck in a time lapse,’” he continued. “It resonates with those of us that have fallen victim to drug addiction and prostitution. My experiences in the streets shaped my understanding of what it means to be homeless and misunderstood as a youth in this generation. I wanted that to be felt in my verse.”
Originally, Fatal’s first 16 bars leaned heavily into the darker realities facing young people in Seattle communities, homelessness, violence, addiction, instability, and the emotional pressure many younger generations inherited after the pandemic, political division, and economic uncertainty of the early 2020s.
But the second half of his contribution intentionally shifts toward possibility, spirituality, and self-belief.
“Yes, it was intentional,” Fatal said. “It’s important to establish a strong foundation whenever conveying spiritual and cognitive empowerment.”
He points to lines like “The day I lost religion is the day I strengthened my faith” as a reflection of separating spirituality from institutional manipulation.
“The concept of God is often refuted and seen as oppressive when you are only hearing it from a con artist dressed as a preacher,” he explained. “It’s about relationship, not religion.”
For Fatal, credibility matters when speaking on struggle.
“If I can show you I’ve seen what you see, I’ve lived what you are living, and I’ve felt how you feel right now, then the audience becomes receptive to what I have to say.”
At the same time, he wants listeners who may not understand those environments to develop empathy instead of judgment.
“For those that aren’t struggling, they can gain comprehension of why some people are written off and discarded as a societal plague when they are people just like you and me.”
That layered perspective adds depth to a song already balancing protest themes with emotional reflection.
Visually, “iGeneration” leans heavily into authentic Pacific Northwest environments instead of staged luxury imagery or overproduced cinematic setups. The video moves through Capitol Hill Skatepark, Tacoma, Renton, parks throughout Washington, and nature-heavy scenery that reflects both city life and emotional escape.
“It represents more of a visual that people in the Northwest could relate to,” RchoiceBelieve said. “The nature scenes connect to the original folk chorus lyrics.”
The decision to use real locations mattered because the people and environments around the artists directly shaped the project itself.
“It utilizes different regions of the city, nature, and people I knew from different parts of the city because they are who made this song and visual possible.”
Jake Hill handled filming, while Mario Casalini helped bridge the production between Fatal’s verses and the song’s jazz-inspired second section. Seattle electronic punk artist Karl from Flesh Producer added live drums and trumpet instrumentation that helped expand the emotional range of the record beyond traditional hip hop structure.
That collaborative approach feels important because “iGeneration” is ultimately about community more than individual stardom.
Seattle has always carried a layered musical identity. Grunge, punk, jazz, conscious rap, indie rock, experimental electronic music, and underground hip hop have all coexisted here for decades. “iGeneration” feels aware of that history while still speaking directly to younger artists navigating modern realities.
Fatal believes much of the disconnect surrounding Seattle youth culture comes from people forgetting where they came from themselves.
“The misunderstanding comes from recency bias,” he explained. “The judgmental gap is only strong because we forget to remember who we were before we grew up.”
He also acknowledged how dramatically Seattle itself has changed.
“Growth changes things,” he said. “As our population grows and new businesses are staking claim to Seattle, the communities also look different. We are a sanctuary city, a liberal petri dish in a country on the brink of war. It’s never going to be the same as it once was. The 80s and 90s are gone. We live in a different time, especially in the Northwest.”
That tension between old Seattle and new Seattle quietly hangs over the entire project.
At a time when a lot of artists are reducing songs down to short-form content moments, “iGeneration” goes in the opposite direction. The record allows space for longer storytelling, emotional transitions, and layered themes that unfold over time.
“They get to speak their mind and complete a real story,” RchoiceBelieve said about giving artists longer verses and creative room.
Fatal says when his verse arrives, he wanted listeners to feel something bigger than hopelessness.
“You are not alone,” he said. “You are beautifully created. Your life matters. Your struggle is not what defines you. This too shall pass.”
He believes real change starts internally before it ever reaches politics or institutions.
RchoiceBelieve Featuring Fatal Lucciauno – iGeneration
“This generation will be one of resilience and change,” Fatal said. “But the revolution has to start within you, not the politicians and government.”
Then, laughing, he added one final thought:
“Also that I can really rap.”
That balance of seriousness, spirituality, humor, pain, and confidence is ultimately what makes “iGeneration” stand out. The record feels grounded in real conversations, real environments, and real people instead of manufactured internet aesthetics.
And while “iGeneration” leans heavily into social reflection and protest-inspired storytelling, RchoiceBelieve says his next wave of music continues expanding emotionally and creatively rather than staying trapped in one lane.
One upcoming record, titled “YML,” explores the perspective of a soldier returning from war while also touching on the experience of being Peruvian-American during the unrest and riots that shaped many American cities in the early 2020s.
“YML is a solo song where I sing and do one rap verse,” he explained. “The video has some Neo and Matrix movie influence. I made that with the same group of hip hop producers.”
Even with the heavier themes across records like “iGeneration” and “YML,” RchoiceBelieve says balance still matters creatively.
“But on the real,” he laughed, “we got some summer fun songs, non-protesty, on the way.”
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