Let me start off by apologizing for last week. Romantic R&B and those soft love songs don't quite fit my usual style, and I'm not sure what got into me. I definitely am not listening to anything in that sub-genre in my spare time. Anyway, to make up for last week's extremely downtempo and romantic set I've decided to switch things up and cobble together another downtempo set. Funny how that works out. All three of these tracks are songs that I deeply and genuinely enjoy, perhaps more so than any other set I've put together so far.
This is a fun one. Hope you enjoy!
HONEST
Baby Keem
Have you ever randomly stumbled across a a new artist in your typical day-to-day musical listening session that clicks immediately? You binge their entire discography in a night and save a bunch of tracks to your library. You really only listen to those bunch of initial favourites, but one day you randomly go back and listen to the album in full again just because. On that listen you find a song that connects with you that previously didn't. Maybe you're in a different space physically or emotionally, but you find that the one song you skipped over before is now the standout track on the album.
This is my exact experience with "HONEST". I first listened to "DIE FOR MY BITCH" in August 2019 but didn't end up saving "HONEST" until February of 2020. But since then, I can confidently say it's risen to become one of my favourite tracks in Baby Keem's discography.
My Thoughts
Baby Keem's 2019 mixtape "DIE FOR MY BITCH" starts off on an aggressive note as far as modern hip-hop is concerned with the song "STATS". But it takes a dramatic tonal shift with the follow up track "HONEST". On the track, Baby Keem comes across as vulnerable and even hurt as he details a relationship where he can no longer trust his current partner despite him being in a recent sexual encounter with his ex. He outright asks "is there another guy" on the chorus questioning his partner's faithfulness, while knowing that he cannot be faithful himself. The song's opening lines, "you're not who I love, I just need to pass the time", serve as a callback to the song's title. It's not something you'd ever want to be on the receiving end of but is if nothing but honest.
I truly hate the term, but this is definitely a track Twitter would immediately label as "toxic". I'm not going to argue that it's not a recollection of problematic events, but the combination of Keem's storytelling in his single verse and repeated chorus along with the minimalistic instrumental help capture the feeling of the events he describes. I personally have not done anything he outlines in the song, but I'd be lying if I said the overall feelings didn't resonate deeply which is likely why myself and millions of others are so drawn to this song.
Listen to "HONEST" on Apple Music and Spotify.
SPINZ
Smino
Someone asks you to describe that feeling you get when you're drunk to the point where the world around you won't stop spinning; how would you do it? Now imagine someone says make a song about that exact feeling. I don't know about you, but what I'd produce would probably sound like a mix of carnival music and a sea shanty. It'd be terrible. Give this same task to Smino and producer Monte Booker, and you get taken on a melodic and lyrical journey which captures the feeling perfectly.
My Thoughts
Honestly, I don't have a lot to say about this one. This is definitely a song that you just have to listen to yourself; preferably with some good headphones so you can hear all of the little intricacies in the instrumental and the clear separation of vocal channels in the left and right ears during the chorus.
"SPINZ" was the 5th song by Smino I ever heard and talk about making an impression. Every single one of the 18 songs on the album "NOIR" was saved immediately upon first listen which is an extremely rare occurrence for me. Even nearly 5 years later the album still sounds incredible both in the varied production and Smino's vocal performances throughout. I can't speak highly enough about the album and also heavily recommend seeing Smino live at some point if the opportunity arises. You won't be disappointed.
Listen to"SPINZ" on Apple Music and Spotify.
Fryd
ZelooperZ
He's tall enough to be a Small Forward in the NBA, and yet not only is ZelooperZ a rapper, but also an incredibly talented painter. If I had to describe his musical style drawing parallels to the art world, he'd be an artist that specializes in abstract but also dabbles in realism, and expressionism, and surrealism, and pop art, and ... you see where I'm going here. He's incredibly diverse with his cadences, flows, and deliveries going from smooth and melodic on one song to borderline manic and frantic on another.
My Thoughts
I said ZelooperZ swings vastly when it comes to his songs and "Fryd" is an example of a track that lands squarely on the smoother side. The track serves as the intro to his 2020 album "Valley of Life" and features an instrumental that you'd more likely expect an 80s soul singer to be on rather than a 27 year old rapper from Detroit. But it works. And it works well. "Fryd" is a short track coming in at just 1:36 in length, but in that time, ZeeloperZ manages to construct a vivid image through the repeated use of the word "hot" and the line "fry an egg". He uses these words to describe his encounters with people and places, which are generally negatively depicted on this track. The album art, which features eggs frying on the cement, further enhances this imagery.
ZeeloperZ weaves tight, punchy lyrics in with this smooth and almost ethereal instrumental to provide a quick glimpse into his life in a way that might be missed if not listened to carefully. A fair warning though; a lot of his music does not sound like "Fryd" so it's definitely a case of buyer beware if you go exploring expecting more like this. Regardless, ZelooperZ brings a unique sound out of the resurgent Detroit music scene and is worthy of a listen if you're in the mood for something off the beaten path musically.
Listen to "Fryd" on Apple Music and Spotify.
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Stay tuned to see what's in store for next week. Until next time!
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