Day 47: The Waters by Anderson .Paak ft. BJ The Chicago Kid

This album is an unbelievable masterpiece, and I am so happy that Anderson .Paak is now getting the recognition he deserves after his joint win for Best Rap Performance for his track Bubblin at last weekend’s Grammys ceremony.

The Waters comes from Paak’s 2016 album Malibu and is the third song from what is a brilliantly composed body of work. He is from Oxnard, California and is a funky and soulful singer/rapper that has taken influence from the likes of fellow Californians Dr. Dre and Kendrick Lamar as well as The Free Nationals and KAYTRANADA. This album, Malibu, was the second album Paak released under that moniker, having previously released an album, O.B.E. Vol. 1, in 2012 as Breezy Lovejoy. It’s a great name in my opinion, alas he moved to his current pseudonym and has released some truly genre-bending hip-hop and funk music.

On The Waters, Paak recruits BJ The Chicago Kid for this wavy track. The Chicago native (no points for guessing that) has frequented songs with Schoolboy Q and Ab-Soul, and it is a testament to Paak’s rising profile that he is collaborating with such a high profile star on just his sophomore project.

The verses have more of a rap flow to them, with the chorus reverting back to a more soulful sound that feels more true to the typical Paak instrumental. BJ’s feature is subtle and is a typical Paak use of a supplementary artist, seamlessly threading their vocals into the track to create a more emotive, funky sound. They work together rather than having distinct separation across verses.

It is this thinking and this approach to creating music that makes Anderson .Paak a truly unique musician that will continue to grab headlines, awards and even chart spots as the years roll on. This album was just the start for him and already he has gone on to release two more incredible projects in Yes Lawd! and Oxnard. Who knows where Paak can go from here.

Spotify Playlist Link: https://spoti.fi/2CKuVex

Day 45: Selfish by Future ft.Rihanna

A great collaboration for you on Valentine’s Day, though not the most romantic song that you’ll ever hear! Rihanna joins Future on Selfish. From Future’s 2017 album HNDRXX, it is a song that reevaluates a past connection and, to be honest, feels like the anthem for many people in the run-up to this year’s Valentine’s Day, desperately searching for a date.

There is very little instrumental in the song, which for Rihanna’s solos makes for a beautiful RnB track that makes her incredible vocal range the focal point of the song. Future’s verse is accompanied with a few more trap drums and a substantial dose of autotune, as has been the standard for the Atlanta trailblazer over the years, but the blend between verse and chorus and back into verse is smooth and isn’t a noticeable distraction from the song.

It’s no wonder that the song (and indeed the album as a whole) is melancholy and gloomy. Future released the album less than a year after his very public split from fellow artist Ciara, whilst this follows Rihanna’s eighth studio album, ANTI. The album comes from a similar, emotional place and the collaboration in this song is a perfect storm that has created a moody slow jam that might just be the perfect soundtrack for your Valentine’s. I hope you are listening to Luther Van Dross. But if not, then you could most certainly do worse than Selfish.

Spotify Playlist Link: https://spoti.fi/2CKuVex

Day 21: King’s Dead by Jay Rock ft. Kendrick Lamar, Future and James Blake

What a rollercoaster of a track. A blockbuster anthem for a blockbuster film, King’s Dead came from the Black Panther soundtrack as it’s second single, and boasts a monstrous line-up that includes Mike Will Made-It and Teddy Walton with production credits.

The song is a great advert for each artist, and the song feels like it is comprised of distinct chapters. There is no question as to when a new artist is being introduced to the song. Jay Rock brings a ferocity to an already tenacious beat after Kendrick opens with the chorus, only for Future to deliver the most notable verse of the track. It will almost certainly be the highest-pitched verse of his career, and the most memorable moment of the song was nearly left off it. Future raps “La di da di da, slob on me knob” and admitted in a recent interview he would have omitted the voice-breaking falsetto had Kendrick not convinced him otherwise.

Kendrick himself is his usual impeccable self, driving the song with his earworm of a chorus and puts the song into top gear with his verse. In contrast, James Blake’s ghostly, ethereal vocals add a new facet to make this song an experience, a memorable moment. And it’s from a film soundtrack. A DISNEY film soundtrack. Such is the brilliance of Kendrick in, not only rapping and lyricism, but in curating a masterpiece. Lamar did good with this one.

Spotify Playlist Link: https://spoti.fi/2CKuVex

Day 9: Fine China by Future and Juice WRLD

Vocal styles would suggest that this is a collaboration made in heaven. Both are very emotionally raw on their tracks, with a very melodic delivery style. Even the way their voices behaves in between lyrics has an eery similarity!

Future is widely regarded as the granddaddy of mumble rap. Coming out of Atlanta, Georgia, he championed the cities dominance over the American Billboard chart in the early 2010s as he gained notoriety. He worked a lot with Atlanta producers Metro Boomin and Mike WiLL Made-It and has given the world 11 full-length projects to date (as well as venturing into visual production as he was apart of the remake of blaxploitation cult sensation, Superfly).

Juice WRLD is one of the forerunners of the next stage of evolution of mumble rap. Making music from as young as 4 out of the Chicago area, he made his mark on Soundcloud and gained a dedicated, passionate fan base on that platform,leading to a reported $3 million deal with Interscope Records. His songs incorporate a lot of emo influences and it is this new breed of rappers that are really speaking to the youth of today. (the genre was solidified after the untimely death of Juice’s contemporary, Lil Peep in November 2017).

The third song from the pair’s collaborative album WRLD On Drugs, Fine China combines both artist’s penchant for outbursts of emotion. It fits the monotony that mumble rap is associated with, with a very memorable hook from Juice WRLD. Comparing a girl to fine china and lusting over her is the MO of this track, but I do hold issue with one of Juice’s lyrics. So if she leaves, I’ma kill her, oh, she’ll die/Did I say that out loud? I’m so crazy about mine is an indictment of this generation’s views on women and relationships. To normalise and trivialise domestic abuse and murder of a loved one obviously isn’t acceptable, especially when so many young minds are streaming Juice WRLD and his peers. It brings to mind the actions of fellow young star, the late XXXTentacion who, whilst receiving a great deal of aplomb for his musical catalogue, had numerous domestic abuse charges filed against him.

We live in a modern, more mature and more accepting world than previous generations have had. As such, the talented young stars of today need to take more responsibility for their actions and realise the position they hold so that we can all grow and thrive as a global community.

Spotify Playlist Link: https://spoti.fi/2CKuVex