Brent Faiyaz and DJ Dahi | Gravity featuring Tyler, the Creator
Brent Faiyaz is back after dropping his successful EP “F*ck The World” last year in February. The instrumentation of this new track Gravity is much more lively and bright than that of what I’ve heard on previous songs. It is produced by DJ Dahi with some beautiful guitarwork by Steve Lacy. I really enjoy this instrumental although it is a little repetitive it has a very interesting texture and groove. It sounds laid back and a little psychedelic with an off-kilter groove. Brent Faiyaz’s vocal harmonies are great on this song which is expected and the sung hooks are super catchy. The rap verses in between provide a nice contrast to the rest of the song and break up the repetitiveness of the instrumental. My favorite part is the way the beat loops one chord over and over during the chorus while he sings “I don’t want you waiting too long” which is like he’s making the listener wait for the chords to resolve. I’m not sure if it was intentional but it was a cool detail to me nonetheless. I also was intrigued by the wordplay that was used. I interpreted it as Faiyaz’s relationship with someone that keeps him in check and “holds him down like gravity.” There’s also a lot of references how his fame always has him traveling the globe but in the end he always has to come back to his partner. However the song isn’t just about having this person to come back to, it's also about how he feels guilty for not always being there and he doesn’t want them “waiting too long” for him so he feels like this relationship is “too much”. Tyler’s verse was also packed with cool wordplay with the theme of stars and planets saying how he;s far away from Earth (home) since he’s a star and is living on another planet. His verse was pretty short and cuts off abruptly which I think adds to the message of the verse since he is talking about how little he has kept in touch with his partner, only sending short messages over the phone. Overall there isn’t really anything to hate about this track, I was very satisfied and can’t wait to hear more of what Brent Faiyaz has in store for 2021.
Lil Durk | Kanye Krazy
Lil Durk continues to be one of the most annoying and least interesting figures in rap. I really do not see the appeal of listening to any Lil Durk music since, lyrically, there isn’t really anything being said, his beats are generic, and his flow, deliveries, and melodies are nothing special. I have no idea how he scored his feature on Drake’s Laugh Now, Cry Later single. This track really is no different than what I have heard before, I would really prefer to never hear it ever again. For the most part the song is uninteresting, however the hook stands out by being infuriatingly bad. The flow and melody is ridiculously annoying. As for lyrics, he just repeats the line, “I’m going Kanye Krazy”. This hook has nothing to do with the rest of the song as this is practically the only reference to Kanye he makes besides saying, “You ain’t got the answers Sway”. I find this hook very offensive, as Kanye has been diagnosed as bipolar and has had mental breakdowns on camera, some of which are depicted in the underwhelming music video. Referring to someone with mental illness as crazy is really just not appropriate and really lacks respect for one of the most innovative artists of this generation. Lil Durk tries to draw a comparison between himself and Kanye through this song since they are both from Chicago but that is about as far as the similarities go since Durk has not contributed nearly as much to music as Kanye and has proven to be one of the most generic and unoriginal artists out.right now
Babyface Ray | If You Know You Know (feat. Moneybagg Yo)
I discovered this song after seeing Tyler, the Creator post it on his instagram story with the caption “This Silly”. I went to go check it out and was pleasantly surprised. I had never heard of Babyface Ray before this but the song really is silly. I love this beat, all the percussion makes it so bouncy, the 808 combined with cowbells and record scratch is really minimal but really effective when mixed with the vocals. It really lets the lyrics shine through. Moneybagg Yo has a solid feature but the real star is Babyface. His flow is really loose on this song and just emits so much swag. Also, his punchlines are such a highlight as they are pretty ridiculous but hard. This track has me intrigued and I will definitely be checking out more of his music and keep an eye out for his songs in the future.