L.A.-bred rapper, producer, designer, and all-around visionary David Sabastian returns with “Beyoncé’s Perfect,” a scathing indictment of the cult of fame. The piano-driven track showcases Sabastian’s power as a storyteller and cultural commentator as he explores the anxieties of straining for celebrity.
Beginning with twinkling keys, Sabastian warms up his voice by delivering a rich, full-throated “Beyoncéeeeee.” The instantly catchy hook pays a grinning tribute to some of music’s modern icons: “Beyoncé’s perfect and Rihanna too, Kanye’s a genius and Drake’s so cool.” Sabastian then uses the rest of the song to examine how toxic the cult of celebrity can be when people stack themselves up against their heroes.
“Beyoncé’s Perfect” follows the 2022 singles “Nike Check” and “I Believe I Can Fly.” In 2021, Sabastian released the fiery, dramatic tracks “Revolutionary” and “America on Fire.” Over the past couple of years, he’s also shared visually stunning videos for tracks like “Bad Bitch Holiday”—demonstrating his boundary-pushing and complete vision for his art. Before releasing music, Sabastian had already left an indelible imprint on pop culture as both a designer (his work was sought out by everyone from OVO to HBO) and artist with murals coast-to-coast and at ComplexCon.
Sabastian also made waves as an activist with headline-generating events such as “The Gucci Bonfire DTLA” and “Last Train to Nowhere.” Additionally, he launched his fashion brand, Skid Row Fashion Week, with a philanthropic mission to house the homeless. His custom pieces have been sported by superstars like Billie Eilish, A$AP Rocky, Big Sean, Alicia Keys, and many more. With “Beyoncé’s Perfect,” David Sabastian proves to be both a gifted pop artist and perceptive cultural critic, exploring what it means as he continues to garner more fans throughout the world.
ABOUT DAVID SABASTIAN
David Sabastian has spent years shifting pop culture from behind the scenes, and affecting change out in the streets. But after a lifetime of working around music—as a visionary fashion designer, painter, activist, and executive—the lifelong Los Angeleno is bringing his creative, sociopolitical, and spiritual ideals to rap. Part Tupac Shakur and part Deepak Chopra, Sabastian spits with a captivating fervor whether he’s backed by concussive minimalist beats or stirring piano suites. His debut album, 2020’s We Are God, was testament to his status as both a lyrical evangelist of self-empowerment and an artist with his own gravitational pull—originally only available through his website, the highly philosophical album generated over six figures through sales and digital tips. It also made a worthy addition to a body of work that sprawls across worlds. When he isn’t designing subversive merch for rappers like YG (see 2020’s sold-out “Fuck the Police” collection) or painting vibrant murals outside the offices of his label, Warner Records (in a joint venture with The Blueprint Group), Sabastian works to fight homelessness in downtown L.A. with his streetwear company SkidRowFashionWeek. After persevering through adversities of his own—with no small amount of encouragement from his strong Black mother—Sabastian dropped out of school at 16 to pursue his passion for clothing. Hip-hop was there all along, though, and it was only natural that he’d eventually add music to his creative arsenal in his love-fueled war against hatred and self-hate.
