Cher Été Deux, by Zachary Peterson

Cher Été Deux

by Zachary Peterson

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Full Digital Discography

20

releases

Get all 20 Zachary Peterson releases available on Bandcamp and save 15%.

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Cher Été Deux, Be Freestyle, No Particular Reason Freestyle, #JustRaps (No DJ), God's Design - Single, MUNGU: A Beat Tape, We Could Be Free (An Acoustic Homage), NOLA Nights EP, and 12 more. , and , .

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1.	Intro 02:01	buy track
2.	Fear 04:00	buy track
3.	Self-Meditation (ft. CliftonSoul) 05:36	buy track
4.	Whipn Pt. 2 04:36	buy track
5.	Burg Mentality 02:58	buy track
6.	A Beat for Beauty 02:30	buy track
7.	Summer (God's Design) 03:20	buy track
8.	The Intersection 02:15	buy track
9.	Faith Smiles Interlude (ft. Faith B.) 00:24	buy track
10.	My Smile 03:38	buy track

about

Zachary Peterson is back and ready to drop his latest full-length project Cher Été Deux…or Dear Summer Two for those of us who don’t speak French. On the surface, it seems odd to title an album in a foreign language but, if you know anything about the Virginia native, it makes all the sense in the world…his cousin, Erin, was in French class when she was gunned down on the campus of Virginia Tech on that fateful day in April of 2007. Not to mention, it’s been 9 years since the MC dropped the first installment…and A LOT has changed since then. It’s evident from the very start of the project.

The album opens with an intro that picks up right where the original installment left off but, right at the halfway point, it turns menacing….violent even. He’s confident but still flawed…and he knows it. “Some shit in my past just too real for me to speak about / Certain details, just gotta leave ‘em out,” he raps. You can tell he’s been battling demons…and not necessarily winning either.

With “Fear”, he addresses those demons with bars like “Talking to God like every morning right / Depression…Asking questions like it’s gotta be more to life”. Or with “Self-Meditation”, which features frequent collaborator CliftonSoul, he just flat out says it: “Drinking and smoking helps me ease my pain”…or at least they used to. Or with “Whipn Pt. 2”, he takes you on an alcohol-induced, slow-motion ride through The Burg. Out of context, these tracks may seem random, or depressing even, but there’s a larger story being told. Not with words but with attitude and emotion, both symbols for life experiences.

The mood changes halfway through the album with the “Burg Mentality Interlude”. As we said earlier, A LOT has changed in 9 years. He’s taken some losses but he’s made it a point to learn from them. His priorities and perspectives have all matured. He has regrets now but, at the same time, he has grown and learned to accept his mistakes. He’s growing more comfortable in his vulnerability. He’s no longer a kid or a wet-behind-the-ears college graduate like he was on the first Dear Summer. He’s a man now and it’s showing.

Befittingly, Peterson then gives us a signature instrumental to cleanse the pallet and shine a light on the MC's production talents. Quiet as kept, the project was entirely produced, written, recorded, mixed, and mastered by Peterson himself.

With “Summer (God’s Design)”, the artist gives us a laid-back ode to everyone’s favorite season while also personifying Hip-Hop and talking to an imaginatively beautiful young lady. In that sense, the song itself is a triple entendre. However, when we reach “The Intersection”, the album turns serious again. Though not as chaotic or irate as the first half of the album…but still serious. Bars like “I still hit my cousin’s phone just to hear her voice” tell us that he’s still battling demons…or, rather, inviting angels. It shows that he’s fully embraced being comfortable in his vulnerability. One could argue that he even celebrates it while he “two-steps through the sad shit” and this is essentially where the mood of the album stays through the remainder of the project.

On the “Faith Smiles Interlude”, Peterson recruits close friend and collaborator, Faith B, to prelude and set the tone for the album’s final cut. She does so eloquently and gently…perfect for the two open letters that serve as verses for “My Smile”. Here Peterson addresses two of his angels (his cousin Erin and her father/his uncle Grafton) that quite literally helped him find his smile again. It’s touching to say the very least but, more so, absolutely transparent. There’s a hint of guilt but also reconciliation…even forgiveness.

All in all, this album tells a story about growing and healing. It’s about realizing that time and prayer heal wounds, but that scars remain as a reminder of what you’ve been through…and that you made it through it. It’s about seeing the blessing through the pain….seeing Heaven through the tears. More importantly, it’s about accepting and embracing your flaws, emotions, and regrets as a human…and learning from it all. Most importantly though, it’s a reminder to smile.

credits

released May 6, 2024

All tracks produced, written, recorded, mixed, and mastered by Zachary Peterson.

℗ 6LEVEN Music Group

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about

Zachary Peterson Centreville, Virginia

Born and raised in the #DMV. Just a young man that loves to make music. All in all, my music is my bio.

I produce, engineer my own music, rap, and croon (for lack of better words, but I wouldn't call it singing) on occasion.