Blog post 2: Rome Is Burning
Imagine feeling like you are living in Rome during its fall, wondering if there is a song that represents this vibe, and then BOOM! What amazing timing! Rome Is Burning by Apashe, Worakls, and Wasiu drops just in time to make us dance to the madness we are all feeling! This piece immediately stood out to me with its impressive and visually engaging music video, smooth Wasiu vocals, and the Apashe/Worakls orchestra EDM hybrid.
A long time ago, I learned that creativity is being able to put things that don’t go together, and finding a clever way of making it work (from this article, iirc). These guys were pretty creative with this piece. The combination of orchestral power, explosive electronic production, and a symbolic music video has made it one of the most exciting electronic releases of late 2025. The artists themselves describe their song as “Apashe unites with Worakls and Wasiu to score the collapse of civilization. Rome Is Burning is a symphonic collision of power, poetry, and rebellion.” It’s not just a song. It’s a bloody cinematic masterpiece.
Here is the official music video, which visually anchors the entire piece: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpn5Rff4gUk
I picked this recording because it felt culturally relevant. A soundtrack for a world that feels like it’s shaking, shifting, and rebuilding itself at the same time.
BACKGROUND & DESCRIPTION
The Artists
Apashe (John De Buck) is a Belgian-Canadian producer known for fusing orchestral compositions with heavy, modern electronic bass. His work has been featured in films, games, and trailers. He is recognized for cinematic tracks such as Majesty, Good News, and RIP.
Worakls (Kevin Rodrigues), a French producer and composer, is famous for blending classical training with electronic music. He composes for orchestras as well as for electronic festivals, and his performances often feature full ensembles. He recently released From One Blink to Another, his most ambitious album to date.
Wasiu is a Montreal-based rapper and vocalist whose lyrics often explore emotional turmoil, personal evolution, and social commentary. His gritty delivery gives the track its raw, human core.
About the Song
Released on October 8, 2025, Rome Is Burning appears on Worakls’ album and brings together three artists with entirely different musical backgrounds. The song mixes dramatic orchestral strings, punchy and high-tempo electronic percussion, gritty poetic vocal delivery, and symbolic lyrics about upheaval, destruction, and “lighting a spliff while Rome is burning.” Of course, they are not talking about the actual Rome, and I believe what they mean by Rome here is governments in general.
However, it is also true that in the chorus, “Worlds collide, new realms emerging” captures the central metaphor: collapse leading to transformation. Perhaps there is yet hope?
The track’s reception was immediately positive, with outlets praising its emotional power and cinematic design. One critic described it as “a symphonic collision of rebellion and beauty.” (Muzik)
ANALYSIS
Compared to the Artists’ Previous Work
Apashe has always leaned into orchestral EDM, but this track feels more mature than his earlier high-energy, bass-heavy works. The orchestral elements beautifully complement the electronic dance and the quick melodic rap flow.
Worakls expands his signature melodic sensitivity and classical influence. In contrast to his earlier, more dance-oriented tracks, Rome Is Burning feels like part of a film score that is lush, narrative, and emotionally layered.
Wasiu stands out with a vocal performance that is more philosophical and metaphorical than many of his past works. His delivery feels urgent and apocalyptic. How does this guy sound so dang good?!
Compared to the Genre
In the world of EDM and cinematic electronic music, this track breaks boundaries. It avoids the typical EDM “drop” in favor of emotional crescendos, combines classical composition with gritty rap-like verses sung by Wasiu’s beautiful vocals, and behaves more like a short film than a single. The music video is simply stunning, and the song feels like one continuous bop.
Few electronic tracks dare to be this theatrical and symbolic. It resembles hybrid works by artists like Woodkid or Hans Zimmer’s electronic collaborations, but darker and more rebellious, and still dancy, like Stromae’s work. Still, it sounds unique and stands out as its own piece.
INTERPRETATION
Why It Matters
The song feels like a reflection of an important cultural and historical moment, a world wrestling with political tension, climate anxiety, social fragmentation, and digital overload. “Rome burning” becomes a metaphor for society’s cracks, both internal and external. It plays like a bit of a satire from a Christian and an atheist point of view, with a character that resembles Jesus (peace be upon him) walking around being present in the music video, yet nobody sees him. This is sort of reflected back when, towards the end, Wasiu starts singing the “Get the feeling ain’t no one out there “ bar in the second verse (the part I dislike). It’s like a sharp political commentary on the state of the world, feels like Rome is burning, and these guys are suggesting to take it chill and smoke some trees. Even though in the video you can see, there’s burning in the background, and it’s a pretty chaotic ending with riots and a human being beaten to the floor.
Cultural Trends Reflected
Apocalyptic art is rising.
Genre-blending is becoming standard.
Cinematic music in pop culture is gaining popularity.
Classical music is making a fresh comeback.
There’s a feeling of existential doom and dread. Mass exploitation of citizens.
There is also a feeling of existential hope and peace. Peaceful protests.
Exercise of the First Amendment, resistance through media, is rising.
Religion and politics are becoming more divisive subjects. War is becoming more common.
Huge influence and trauma from the Christian Church on Western media.
Target Audience
The track appeals to:
Fans of cinematic electronic music, and those who don’t mind some classical mixed in.
Listeners who enjoy dramatic, emotional storytelling.
People drawn to symbolism, mythology, and social/political critique.
Anybody feeling like we are in ancient Rome, and it is burning.
Fans of any of these artists.
People who want some brain candy (eye and ear candy).
14+ audience.
Mostly the Western audience.
Stereotypes or Offensiveness
While the lyrics use harsh imagery like drugs, violence, and rebellion, these are not meant to be stereotypes but to be used as symbolic devices. The song portrays chaos as commentary, not glorification. In fact, even the verse that denies the unseen realm is wrapped up in a music video where there is a character that plays Jesus PBUH walking around in what looks like disapproval. It’s as if the song is meant to be consumed with the music video and vice versa. And it doesn’t look like they mean to offend. Looks like they just want to make people think via a little controversial provocation.
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| Nero burning Rome |
EVALUATION
Strengths
Powerful fusion of classical and electronic sound.
Emotionally charged and lyrically rich.
Visually stunning music video.
Memorable structure that avoids EDM clichés.
Lovely vocals, flow, rhythm, and melody.
Interesting and engaging lyrics.
Clean sound, real recordings used, high production value. Well mixed and mastered.
Fun to listen to on any setup, but especially fun to listen to on a good setup.
The piece is dancy, so even if people don’t like or understand the message, they can still vibe to the beat.
Super catchy melody.
Interesting and unique strong structure.
Well-balanced and complete track.
Weaknesses
Heavy themes may alienate casual listeners.
Symbolism might feel “over the top” to some.
Gritty lyrics could be interpreted as too dark.
Mature subject.
Some might take offense at the religious/antireligious vibes.
It might be historical, but it may not become a timeless classic sort of piece.
It isn’t as positive, uplifting, or motivational as some timeless classics within the music culture.
Not heartbreaking enough either. It’s a different type of emotional appeal that is usually short-lived.
Kind of like an audiovisual four-minute meme that may fade away into the ether of social and political commentary.
Does not represent how I view the world and situation, hence people like me may enjoy this piece but may not resonate completely with the ideals or the message.
The message is good and interesting, but could be better.
My Rating: 8/10
It’s one of the strongest releases from all three artists. It will not be forgotten, even if it is not remembered as much. It’s bold, cinematic, and culturally resonant enough to be memorable for years to come. Personally, I think this is their best work yet.
What Critics Say
Reviews describe it as:
“A cinematic collision of power, poetry, and rebellion.” - MUZZIK Fanzine (2025)
“The video is visually stunning, matching the song's emotional force.” - MUZZIK Fanzine (2025)
“Apashe, Worakls, and Wasiu have crafted an audiovisual spectacle…” - MUZZIK Fanzine (2025)
I am in agreement. It’s a visual and auditory treat, and not just one or the other. The piece, along with the video, feels and sounds complete and beautiful. This song’s structure itself is different; you can see the lyrics in the video comments. I was so inspired by this track that I tried to make something like it, but I wasn’t really able to make anything good under four minutes. The fact that this track is only that long with these lyrics is nuts! Kudos to the 126 bpm and Wasiu’s flow. The piece is clean and understandable, very high production value.
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| Apashe prasing the one most high? |
ENGAGEMENT
Social Media
On Instagram, Apashe’s official account shows the announcement: “Have you seen it? Rome Is Burning with @worakls.music & @afrowasiu” promoting the collaboration. He has been sharing high-energy clips of the track being performed live, where pyrotechnics literally make the stage look like "Rome is burning."
https://www.instagram.com/p/DRPtee9kYrz/#
https://www.instagram.com/p/DPtrZ-MjDev/
Worakls (@worakls) has been posting behind-the-scenes clips of the orchestra recording sessions, showing the "human" element behind the electronic sound. Fans are reacting with excitement, memes, and deep analysis of the lyrics.
Some other helpful links:
Apashe’s Official Website & Tour Dates
Review of Apashe's "Antagonist" era
Personal Engagement
Their video first popped up on my YouTube feed almost as soon as it was released. I didn’t listen to it until it came back on my feed 3 days later. When I heard the piece and watched the video, I was so hooked on this track that I spammed it for two whole weeks. I visited their channels on YouTube and Spotify, but nothing got me as hooked as this track did. It was awesome how it represented that sort of existential doom, yet fiery, rebellious “I’m going out my way” type of vibe. I sent the song to my brother, who also enjoyed it. It’s catchy and full of ear candy, a very genius piece in my opinion.
This song on Spotify has over 2 million streams, and almost 700k views on YouTube, at the time of posting this. 2 million streams in 2 months means the song is a big hit.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, Rome Is Burning is an excellent example of beautiful collaboration mixed with poignant imagery and lyrics, woven wonderfully within Wasiu’s exquisite vocals and flow. Truly, what a wonderful piece. Even now, when I listen to it, the obsession that was there when I first heard it is sort of missing, but still, I find myself grooving out to the beat and still enjoying the melody. This song inspired me to make my own called World Is Burnin, and instead of lighting a spliff, the first bar goes “Plant a seed while the world is burnin”, referencing a famous Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH that encourages us to plant a seed even if the end of the world is happening, encouraging us to think about our future and afterlife, and to continually do good and invest in a good future, even when the world is ending.
Sources:Muzzik Fanzine. (2025). Muzzik loves this video: Apashe, Worakls, and Wasiu – Rome Is Burning. MUZZIK TV Fanzine.
https://fanzine.muzzik.tv/eng/news/133386/details/w/0/muzzik-loves-this-video-apashe-worakls-and-wasiu-rome-is-burning/
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