Fluxblog Weekly #78: Kevin Abstract, The Game, $ilk Money/Andre 3000, NxWorries, Saba/Noname
Without really trying, this ended up being an all hip-hop week. Huh.
October 17th, 2016
Right Outside Your Frontdoor On My 12 Speed
Kevin Abstract “Empty”
I suppose we’ve come a long way if a young rapper is saying “I hate my boyfriend” in a song and getting blown by a football player in the video and people aren’t really talking about it. But then again, that might be because it’s getting swept under the rug. I hope that’s not the case, because “Empty” is a warm, thoughtful song in the vein of early Kanye and current Chance, and it’s a window into the mind of a young guy who’s torn up by nostalgia, mixed emotions, and a yearning for romance and connection. It’s a very accessible tune, but a bit strange outside of the matter-of-fact queerness – tuba is used as the primary bass instrument for a whimsical and off balance effect, and the children’s choir that comes in near the end undermines the adolescent angst in a way that feels at least somewhat pointed. The main attraction here is Kevin Abstract’s voice, which conveys a very specific type of young male vulnerability. There are points in this song where he flips from seeming petulant to wounded in a second, and it’s just so heartbreaking and sweet.
Buy it from Amazon.
October 18th, 2016 12:03pm
The California Mindstate
The Game “The Juice”
The Game’s new record is presented as a musical autobiography, and the music itself quotes iconic rap songs – “Colors,” “The Message,” and “C.R.E.A.M.,” pretty obvious stuff, to the point where I have to question how much of enjoying those particular songs is just clicking into something familiar. But “The Juice” is less about referencing and more about evoking the spirit of a particular era – the early to mid ’90s, when rap was still heavily sample-based but not so dense with them that they became economically infeasible. There’s something very interesting to me about listening to this guy reminisce about the past and the music that shaped him, and then insert himself into that music now as a veteran rapper. He sounds completely at home, but also a little like a time traveler into the recent past.
Buy it from Amazon.
October 19th, 2016
Let’s Make It Beautiful News
Divine Coucil featuring $ilk Money & André Benjamin “Decemba (Remix)”
Being a fan of Andre 3000 in the post-Outkast era means collecting a lot of tracks he appears on in which the gulf of quality between him and the headlining artist is quite vast. It can make a rapper look bad in comparison – $ilkMoney isn’t a bad rapper at all, but when he’s contrasted with Andre, his lyrics seem undisciplined and shallow. The sentiment of his words are kinda cringe-inducing too, with him basically just talking about how quickly he gets rid of women after fucking them. Andre picks up the general theme and takes it to a much different place, telling a vivid sex fantasy about being a criminal in federal court and getting seduced by a deputy, and that spinning out into a very dramatic scenario. $ilkMoney barely sounds like he likes sex or women, but Andre’s lyrics convey a deep respect for women and an overwhelming horniness on par with Prince at his dirtiest.
Buy it from Amazon.
October 20th, 2016
So Tempted
NxWorries “What More Can I Say”
Anderson Paak has a dilemma: He’s got a girlfriend, but you see, everywhere he goes, sexy women are trying to seduce him! I, uhhhh, can’t relate, but he does manage to make me feel sympathetic to his plight by sounding completely sincere in his desire to stay faithful and not give in to fleeting temptation. Paak sounds overwhelmed and bewildered, like he never imagined being in this position, and afraid that he’ll fuck up something good in a moment of weakness. Knxwledge’s track is built around a sweet, sentimental string sample that emphasizes the kindness in Paak’s voice. It reminds me of how a lot of producers frame Ghostface’s verses, right on down to the quick silent pauses that magnify some nuance of phrasing to the point that it feels like a big dramatic gesture in context.
Buy it from Amazon.
October 21st, 2016
Yoga Pants Coffee Shops Yogurt Stands
Saba featuring Noname “Church/Liquor Store”
Saba and Noname are speaking a lot of truth in this song about systemic racism – he’s mainly focused on a legal system set up to get as many black kids in jail as possible, and she’s talking about gentrification, a comparatively subtle method to the same end of pushing non-affluent black people out of cities. This could be shrill, but it’s not, even a little bit. Both performances are very nuanced – Saba more on a lyrical level, as he expresses frustration without shrinking the problem down so it loses its complexity. His depiction of Chicago isn’t particularly sentimental, but he’s heavily invested in the place and keeps his details vivid and specific. This isn’t just any city, it’s his city. Noname has a similar approach, but her cadence and delivery add another layer of depth. She has a gift for communicating volumes of emotional detail in subtle inflections and sighs, so even a familiar riff on gentrification feels fresh if just for how many mixed emotions and variations on exasperation and grief get packed into just a few lines.
Buy it from Amazon.