SadBoy Summer: Santa Barbara’s Biggest Rapper Drops New Single ‘Palm Trees’

SadBoy Summer: Santa Barbara’s Biggest Rapper Drops New Single ‘Palm Trees’

SadBoy Loko Speaks on New Label, Album, and Life After Lockup

SadBoy Loko has been through a lot in the past few years — spending most of 2018 through 2020 behind bars, and then coming home in the middle of a worldwide pandemic — but with a new album dropping in August, and a summertime anthem “Palm Trees” garnering hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube, the Santa Barbara–born-and-bred rapper is making, as he says, a “major comeback from a minor setback.”

His newest single, “Palm Trees,” featuring Kap G and YBE, and its accompanying music video, are a look into SadBoy’s latest artistic and musical evolution, and a celebration of his newfound outlook on life. The vibe is reminiscent of the 2005 anthem “Summer Nights” by Lil Rob, with backyard cookouts; classic, chromed-out lowriders; palm trees; and a chorus that lends itself perfectly to cruising around town with the top down.

It’s a departure from some of the darker-themed gangsta rap of his earlier work, and for good reason. SadBoy’s stint in jail gave him time to reflect and be grateful for the little things in life.