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Music

The epitome of friendship

Rex Orange County sings about love and care

There was a soft, cloudy set-up on stage as if you and all your friends were at a dreamy sleepover. The crowd was very calm and very young, in the far reaches of the venue parents waddled, waiting for those that they had to accompany.

There was no opening act, it was straight to the point. He entered the stage wearing baggy jeans and a baggy sweater, and said, “Hello, my name is Rex, and I’m going to start with some songs from Pony.”

Rex Orange County, or Alexander O’Connor, is from a small town near Surrey, England. According to an article in The Guardian, “[the name] stems from a nickname an old teacher gave him, “the OC,” after his initials.” The 21-year-old artist has released three studio albums since his debut in 2016. Pony is the most recent, launching his career into mainstream pop.

The concert kicked off with “10/10,” a song about acknowledging one’s potential for growth— that they’re not quite the best version of themselves yet but are becoming better. The majority of Rex’s songs call out to notions of love, sorrow, acceptance, and joy—the roles that exist within platonic and romantic relationships.

Partway through his set, as tears rolled down my face, Rex performed his cover of Alicia Keys’ “No One.” At that moment, it became clear that it was a song integral to the concert, and perhaps even to Rex’s journey as a musician. 

The tunes that followed were from his previous albums, and had a stronger pop-feel to them. In the 2017 single, “Best Friend,” Rex recounts an all-too-familiar tale of accepting that the person you like is just your friend and having to grow over time to be okay with that because they are that important to you—that having them in your life in this way is better than not at all.

While trumpet and saxophone players took to the stage, Rex broke out into my personal favourite, “Sunflower.” “Sunflower” makes me feel okay; that I am loved and held by those I care about. That no matter how bad and shitty I feel, there will always be people who “don’t wanna see you cry” and “don’t want you to feel that emptiness.”

The song is about true love, and maybe it’s not the love you were expecting; but it’s love nonetheless. And regardless, you’ve just got to “keep [your] mind at bay” and “diggy dig down down, du du du duuu.”

It goes without saying that Rex Orange County is the most tender in the world of indie-pop. With relatable lyrics, a friendly voice, and catchy tunes, it’s hard to stay still.

Graphic by @sundaeghost.

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Music Quickspins

QUICKSPINS: Mick Jenkins – The Circus

The Circus is Mick Jenkins’ most accessible project since Wave[s]

When a new Mick Jenkins project drops, it’s always expected to be an incredibly dense thematic experience with thoughtful lyricism and wavy beats—most appropriate for a smoking session. The Circus, the newest EP from the Chicago rapper is nothing if not complex, but its short length makes it entirely more digestible and engaging.

While his 2018 album, Pieces of a Man, was solid, it simply hasn’t stood the test of time and has been all but forgotten by anyone outside of his core fan base. At seven songs and under 20 minutes, The Circus takes everything he did so well on his previous projects and compresses it into a brisk EP that highlights Jenkins’ strong rapping and the best instrumentals he’s rapped on since his Wave[s] EP.

The Circus begins with “Same Ol,” with Jenkins rapping about walking into a room where he’s virtually unknown but maintains his confidence. The beat is tight and aggressive, featuring a single synth cord to drive the track home. It’s simple, yet appealing and fits Jenkins’ flows nicely.

The quality of that track is representative of how good the other six songs are as well. Highlights like “The Light” and “Different Scales” are quintessential Mick Jenkins tracks and encapsulate what made Jenkins a highly touted MC to begin with.

The Circus isn’t a reinvention or an innovation in rap music. It’s a step back from Mick Jenkins that allows him to shine his brightest on a tight EP that has barely any cracks in it.

Rating: 8/10

Trial Track: The Light (feat. Earth Gang)

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Music

Alex Cameron goes where the genius is

Photo by Guillaume Knobloch

An interview with Australia’s next best star

Alex Cameron is feeling good.

In fact, he says he’s in the best position he’s ever been in. The Australian singer has fallen in love with Jemima Kirke, an English artist and actress who greatly inspires his songs, most notably on his newly released, love-centred album, Miami Memory. His team has just cleared a few years’ worth of debt and can finally afford to pay their rent while living comfortably. Most impressive of all, Cameron is on track to play over 100 shows on tour in 2019.

“We tour our fucking asses off and people come to our shows,” said Cameron. “What we do is a reputation thing. We have a reputation for putting on hot shows and writing songs that, though they are very specific, people find a way to latch onto them and it becomes broad reaching once the ideas spread through conversation. We got no problems, man. We’re feeling good. Are you feeling good?”

The eccentric frontman asks me the question as he sits backstage at the Fairmount Theatre before his show on Nov. 16, alongside his saxophonist and business partner, Roy Molloy. 

Cameron is comfortable as he finishes his sound check, sporting a pair of black track pants, slicked jet black hair, his Miami Memory merchandise necklace and a retro City Ford Sydney Roosters jersey to commemorate his hometown. Molloy opts for a more done-up look as he sits alongside us in a black corduroy suit with a bag of Sour Patch watermelon candies in hand.

Photo by Guillaume Knobloch

Cameron’s earlier projects, Jumping the Shark and Forced Witness, touch upon themes of loneliness and distress as a failed musician. However, those days may be over, ever since Cameron was contacted by Brandon Flowers, lead singer of The Killers. 

He says that Flowers, whom he has previously labelled as one of the best songwriters of our generation, stumbled across his music on the internet and asked him and Molloy to assist him in writing The Killers’ 2017 album, Wonderful Wonderful. Flowers later took them onboard the album’s tour as a support act and returned the favour with songwriting credits on Cameron’s Forced Witness. The Killers have since announced a forthcoming album, Imploding the Mirage, which Cameron says he may have a hand in as well.

“I think what that whole experience gave us was a lot of information and a lot of guidance about the industry and what it means to be a performer, and what it means to have your music actually impact people,” said Cameron. “There’s a good lesson in there.”

Despite the insight that Cameron and Molloy may have received from connecting with Flowers, they don’t expect their music to peak at the top of the charts – at least not in the foreseeable future.

“I think that pop music is driven by the kids and the kids will always want something new,” said Cameron. “I think that popular music, generally speaking, is consumed by people who are like, between the ages of eight and 15. So when you’re writing a pop song and you’re getting all those sales and making all those hits, it’s because kids love it. If you want to talk about why our music isn’t at the top of the charts, it’s because our music is explicitly for adults. And that’s a different kind of ball game.”

“What we’re doing isn’t for 14-year-olds,” said Molloy.

The duo says that their art is reserved for an older audience because of certain lyrics riddled with mature content that includes explicit sexual references and a certain song with homophobic slurs. 

While it is certainly not for radio, Cameron is in no way homophobic. His slurs are sung ironically as his lyrics address him being called gay for the makeup he wears and the way he dresses. Later that evening on stage, Cameron saves “Marlon Brando” for the encore and assures the crowd that it’s normal for them to question their sexuality while discovering who they are.

Cameron carried that same feisty energy with him on stage throughout the whole show. His stage presence was compelling and his dance moves contagious. Many artists could certainly take tips from an Alex Cameron performance.

While Cameron may be considered new to the music industry, his influence is certainly felt by many established and aspiring musicians alike.

“I feel like we’ve presented some ideas that were definitely ours that other people are accessing,” said Cameron. “But I also feel like once you put something out there into the world, you’re putting it into a melting pot to be shared. If you don’t want to be ripped off, just don’t release anything.”

Cameron may be inspiring artists that likely fall into the rock or indie category, but he doesn’t think that certain music thrives because of the genre that they’re boxed into.

“Ultimately, I don’t think it’s a genre thing,” said Cameron. “I don’t think it’s about

‘why is rock not at the top? Why is rap at the top? Why is pop music not at the top?’ Ultimately, it’s about where the spirit is, and where the energy is – where the genius is.”

Photos by Guillaume Knobloch

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Music Quickspins

QUICKSPINS: Leonard Cohen – Thanks for the Dance

Leonard Cohen - Thanks for the Dance

Three years after Cohen’s passing, his son Adam salvages the remains of the You Want it Darker sessions and delivers a worthwhile addition to the Cohen canon

Three years ago, 19 days prior to his passing, Leonard Cohen said goodbye to the world on what would be his final album, You Want It Darker. He was battling cancer when recording the LP and knew his time was limited. The album served as a dark, haunting and beautiful farewell from the prolific Montreal poet.

On Thanks for the Dance, Cohen’s son Adam has lovingly assembled the remains of the Darker sessions and crafted a worthwhile follow-up to his father’s final album. It might not be as focused or cohesive as its predecessor, but every song on this album feels complete and fully fleshed out. It’s clear that this isn’t some greedy estate or label looking to capitalize on Cohen’s passing – this is a son lovingly assembling the remnants of his father’s work to create one last album.

There are many standout moments on this album. Songs like “It’s Torn” and “The Goal” are Cohen’s gorgeous, ominous reflections on mortality. “The Night of Santiago” strongly displays his penchant for poetic storytelling, over lush, layered instrumentation. It’s moments like these that make this album feel like such a gift.

Thanks for the Dance is an excellently assembled posthumous release. You can sense the love and care that Adam put into gathering and completing his father’s final recordings for this project. While it lacks in some areas compared to Cohen’s previous release, it still houses some phenomenal moments and is a wonderful and worthwhile addition to the Cohen canon.

8/10

Trial Track: “The Night of Santiago”

Star Bar:
 “Come gather the pieces
All scattered and lost
The lie in what’s holy
The light in what’s not”
(Cohen on “It’s Torn”)

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Music Quickspins

QUICKSPINS: The Game – Born 2 Rap

The Game - Born 2 Rap

Compton rapper The Game returns with a star-studded collaboration

Compton rapper The Game hasn’t released a project in three years, but his new album is 25 songs long – enough content to satisfy his core fanbase after his absence.

Born 2 Rap is a perfect blend of the classic west-coast hip hop sound with a more laid back, jazz-influenced twist. The Game’s consistently well thought-out bars are an ideal addition to the diverse collection of truly musical production throughout the album.

A wide array of interesting features are also present throughout the project. The guest list includes Ed Sheeran, Miguel, 21 Savage, Travis Barker, Masego, Anderson .Paak, and D Smoke (winner of Rhythm & Flow Season 1), among many others. While The Game’s flow can get a little repetitive at times, the long list of collaborators helps to constantly evolve the album’s sound.

Overall, this is a great return to the game by the Compton MC. Let’s see if he’ll have more content for us soon, or if this is his latest message to the public before another lengthy hibernation in the Cali sun.

7.5/10

Trial Track: “One Life” ft. J. Stone and Masego

Star Bar:
“Guess who back in the buildin’, stackin’ them millions
Y’all wanted me to rap, I’m bringin’ back that feelin’
Bridge the gap between mumble rappers and killers
Bridge the gap between smokers and lean sippers”
(Game on “No Smoke” ft. Miguel & Travis Barker)

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Quickspins

QUICKSPINS: Tory Lanez – Chixtape 5

Tory Lanez - Chixtape 5

With the fifth installment in his Chixtape series, Tory Lanez has refined his formula, and expounded upon it, bringing in a stacked list of features

Over the course of the decade, Tory Lanez has been carefully crafting a fan-favourite collection of R&B mixtapes with the Chixtape series. Sampling some of the genre’s biggest hits from the late 90s and early 2000s, Lanez has created a sound that seamlessly blends the new and the old. With the fifth installment, Lanez takes the formula that he’s familiarized fans with, and expounds on it.

On Chixtape 5, Lanez and producer Play Picasso have put a tremendous amount of care into updating these classics to fit contemporary R&B conventions, while maintaining what makes them classics. The instrumentals range from slightly enhanced versions of the originals to completely new songs based around the samples. This is the first installment to include the original artists on a majority of these tracks, and it helps to take the series to the next level.

For the most part, these featured artists enhance the songs they’re on, but they don’t all connect as they should. For example, Ludacris’ verse on “The Fargo Splash” is extremely underwhelming, and while it’s not enough to ruin the song, it could’ve been left off.

Overall, Lanez has delivered a nice ode to the classic R&B sound of the early 2000s. The production is consistently fantastic throughout, and while Lanez himself isn’t saying much of substance, his melodies and energetic presence make up for it. Chixtape 5 might not reinvent the wheel, but it builds on the foundation laid by its predecessors, taking the series to new heights.

7.8/10

Trial Track: “Jerry Sprunger”

Star Bar:

“I know dropout Rovers, pop out sofas

Was with me when I wasn’t eatin’, we would pop out Stouffer’s

You see, that’s why I’m still f***in’ with you

Head down, ten toes, still thuggin’ with you” (Lanez on “A Fool’s Tale (Running Back)”)

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Music

Clairo’s anthems are as soft as lullabies

Graphic by @sundaeghost

A slight audio mishap wasn’t enough to discourage the crowd

Monday, Nov. 18, was not a pleasant evening. It was cold, the promise of freezing rain lingering in the air. Clairo’s stage at Corona Theatre was set with a carpeted platform and a crescent-moon-like semi-circle structure.

I first came to know Clairo sometime last year, my little sister (so little, she’s 18) showed me her favourite song, “Flaming Hot Cheetos.” It’s a vibe. I wouldn’t describe Clairo’s music as “flaming hot,” it’s more so sleepy, kinda moody, almost sullen, and very pastel.

I expected her performance to be bit dancey. It wasn’t. My sister said it was as though Clairo was frightened of the crowd and absolutely did not want to be touched by anyone, under any circumstances. Cotton candy clouds projected on her crescent moon, Clairo’s anthems are as soft as lullabies.

Fans handed Clairo a box of crackers, she considered it, seemingly reading the ingredients. My sister whispered to me, “oh my god, those are veggie thins!” We used to eat those crackers with chicken noodle soup at my grandmother’s house.

Apparently Clairo discovered a straw in the box, disgusted, she returned it to the crowd. I was distracted by a loud pop, followed by a couple more loud pops.

The people in the crowd kept on, despite the sound mishap, shouting compliments and swaying. Eager for her attention, someone threw a single rose on stage, she barely noticed it. But my heart lies with Clairo’s guitarist, Hayley Briasco (aka Kim Tee), who was jamming, dancing and really feeling herself in her small corner of the stage. She really kept up group morale.

Throughout the night, cheesy sunsets, landscapes, seascapes, waves, desert, mountains, alps and a worm burrowing into sand took turns filling the crescent moon behind the performers. Maps of the world, smushed together, all continents one, only to break apart. An outline of the United States, California underwater… softly sinister topics sprinkled between the natural beauty. An honest, dark humour shared by all millenials and Gen-Z’s when facing our uncertain futures. 

Clairo is, like her music, timid, caring, calm, and quite reserved; her lyrics melting in with the melody. She put forth a new, currently untitled song, created on tour in Oregon. She sang alone on stage, with her guitar, without her band. I was disappointed I couldn’t keep watching Kim Tee wiggle.

I never say your name

But I wrote these chords with you in mind

I’ve met you on the benches

Of places where I know we can still hide

Sometimes it’s hard

‘Cause I just wanna call you and cry

I can’t help but wonder who she’s singing about, who hurt her? Immunity is the artist’s first polished album, with angsty, emotional and romantic tracks. The album seems to manifest immunity from other people’s bullshit, from staring gazes and pointed fingers at queer couples in small towns.

The artist closed off the night with the viral Youtube video that gained her fame in 2017, “Pretty Girl,” a lo-fi track captured the eyes of millions of viewers. The video projected on stage, her 18-year-old self wearing cat eye glasses, her hair in pigtails, lip synching and dancing to her song while seated in her bed. 

Ending on a warm, happy note, orange flowers in the background, Clairo wrapped the audience in a warm hug before sending them off into the cold.

 

Graphic by @sundaeghost

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Music

Saint Jhn puts on a fun, but unremarkable show

Photo by Derek Campbell

The Brooklyn rapper hit the stage in Montreal for the second time in as many years, on his “Ghetto Lenny’s Ignorant Forever” tour

After performing at Osheaga shortly after the release of his debut album, Collection One, Saint Jhn returned to Montreal a year later for the promotion of his latest full-length project, Ghetto Lenny Love Songs.

The concert at L’Astral was exactly what you’d expect from an artist who balances bass-heavy trap bangers and melodic R&B leaning tunes. Near riots occurred when Saint Jhn performed hits like “Roses” and “All I Want is a Yacht.”

The visuals on loop behind the auto-crooner reflected the cult-like aesthetic that Saint JHN evokes in his music and album artwork. Both Collection One and Ghetto Lenny Love Songs have a cross spread across the cover and might fool someone into thinking that Saint Jhn is a Christian rapper.

He really isn’t.

His songs focus on the club life he lives in Brooklyn, filled with drugs, sex, and any other topic that you’d find on a trap album. While the subject matter can get repetitive, Saint Jhn’s lively performance kept it from being a boring concert. After all, how many trap concerts can you go to before they all seem the same?

At times, Saint Jhn skipped words to see if the crowd would continue to rap his lyrics and while they did, it was muffled and unintelligible. It wasn’t that the crowd wasn’t into it, it was that they were so drunk that rapping coherently was quite a difficult task.

While Saint Jhn’s power came from his bangers, he proved that his voice could hold up to the high standards he set for himself with the album versions of his songs.

“I Can Fvcking Tell,” “Trophies,” and “High School Reunion” put his voice on the forefront and with the help of some reverb and a little autotune, he never went off key or lost energy. The crowd drunkenly mumbled along, at least proving to Saint Jhn that his fans knew his songs, sober or not.

Most of the songs he performed were deep cuts from his Ghetto Lenny Love Songs, but he also performed all of the big numbers that jump started his career, towards the end of the concert. After a lively performance of “Anything Can Happen,” Saint Jhn jumped into the crowd, made his way to the middle and asked everyone to form a circle around him.

He asked, or rather demanded, that the crowd keep making a larger circle so that everyone could mosh around him, while he played his biggest single from the summer, “Trap.” 

Following that mess, Saint Jhn went back on stage and ended the concert with a prayer that had too many white people in the crowd usher a word they were in no position to say.

Sure the concert was a standard trap affair, but at least Saint Jhn knew how to entertain.

Photo by Derek Campbell

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Music

El Dorado concert movie review

Shakira - El Dorado

Shakira, you truly are the golden one

It’s no secret that we all have – whether we like it or not – a favourite musician we dub a guilty pleasure. No matter how music savvy we claim to be, there is that one rapper, pop icon, or country singer we grew up listening to, and cannot for the life of us let go of.

In my case, it’s a 5’2 Colombian icon, who goes by the name Shakira. When I was nine years old, I would hide in my room and replay the quintessential song of the 2000s, “Whenever, Wherever” with its iconic music video to replicate Shakira’s exact moves. My dream was to attend one of her concerts and watch her front-and-centre.

So when she announced her El Dorado world tour, I was over the moon. Finally! My childhood dreams would come true … until they didn’t.

Life got in the way, and I was not able to attend any of her shows, be it the Montreal concert, or the one she had in Lebanon. Imagine my frustration, knowing I could have been present at both shows, only to attend neither. Eff my life, eh?

Luckily, this woman goes above and beyond for her art and her fans. On Nov. 13, a one-night-only screening of her world tour was shown worldwide, and I had the greatest pleasure of attending it.

The thing that always fascinated me about Shakira was her voice. I’ve come across a lot of people either criticizing it for being “weird,” or making fun of it because she sounded like a goat. I would quote them directly, but we’re no longer friends, for obvious reasons. 

Shakira has what is called a coloratura contralto, a “unique and versatile vocal styling that incorporates a yodelling-like technique as well as Arabic influences,” as described in divadevotee.com. Convenient, if you think about it, considering she is half-Lebanese.

The thing is, before I knew what any of this technical talk meant, I always used to draw comparisons between her voice and belly dancing. It astounded me how – similar to the undulating of her hips when dancing – the uneven sounds she would make when singing (and I don’t mean this in a bad way) would take me on some sort of trip. Weirdly, whenever I would listen to her music, I would find myself “riding a wave.”

In El Dorado, the fans are shown the many sides of this pop-culture icon. Shakira is, in every sense, a devoted artist. Although the concert seems to have an effortless, party-like atmosphere, the movie shows that behind-the-scenes, the singer has calculated every bit of detail, from the smallest false note to the ethereal lighting, to make sure her fans come out of the concert hall satisfied. A committed performer in every form, Shakira is not one to take her craft lightly. 

Some would remember that various concert dates were postponed due to her falling ill and losing her voice. She describes this period of her life in the movie as “one of the hardest things she’s ever had to go through.” She also stated that her voice defines who she is, and to lose that would mean to lose herself. Luckily, all worked out for the best, and nothing derailed her from putting on an amazing show.

Vibrant, colourful, fun, and transcendental, Shakira’s concert is the embodiment of who she truly is as an artist, and warrants the name “The Golden One.” 

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Music

Daniel Caesar shows off his pipes on CASE STUDY 01 tour

Daniel Caesar is loved.

At least that’s what the crowd at Place Bell yelled to him at every opportune lull throughout the crooner’s set last Tuesday night.

Despite some trying to ‘cancel’ the singer in the earlier part of 2019 for his defense of controversial comments made against African-Americans, Caesar had no problem drawing in a massive audience on the first snowfall of the season. Fresh off the summer release of his second studio album, CASE STUDY 01, the Ontario native was back in Laval on his tour of the same name.

The R&B artist rose in popularity following the positive reception surrounding his debut studio album, Freudian, that was nominated in the Best R&B Album category at the 2018 Grammy Awards. The album also featured his nominated singles “Get You” featuring Kali Uchis and “Best Part” featuring H.E.R.

The show’s set was simplistic, with a full band playing behind a pair of transparent curtains and two vocalists on either side of Caesar. The visuals featured juxtaposed videos of aesthetics pertinent to the songs being played, like strippers pole dancing to “Who Hurt You?” and a dancing Kali Uchis for her “Get You” feature.

Caesar played most of his new album – one more experimental in nature than the gospel-centric Freudian. This allowed him to show off his vocal range that was raw at its core and was accompanied by little, if any, of his own backing track vocals – a breath of fresh air as a concert-goer in a hip hop and R&B era that seems to be dominated by lip-syncing and laziness on stage.

Three songs in, Caesar brought out fellow Torontonian Sean Leon. The crowd’s initial reaction was weak, perhaps not recognizing the guest on-stage. Yet, once the two dove into their collaboration track “RESTORE THE FEELING,” the audience piped up and clapped for the stranger in front of them.  Leon thanked the crowd for his first performance in Montreal and the two artists gave each other a loving embrace before Leon exited the stage.

Caesar’s trifecta of “OPEN UP,” “Who Hurt You?” and “ARE YOU OK?” truly highlighted his voice and musical capabilities. The latter did not have any accompanying background instruments – only Caesar and his guitar. He frequently rotated between acoustic ballads and R&B melodies throughout.

The most well-received songs were undoubtedly those from his first album, whether this was due to the fact that they are the best in Caesar’s catalogue or that the crowd was reminiscing on the previous times he’s performed in Montreal over the last few years. The highlight was undoubtedly “Best Part,” of which the audience took over the whole first two and a half verses before Caesar even stepped towards the microphone.

Caesar finished off the night with “SUPERSTITION,” a personal favourite on the album and the perfect closer for an intimate night. After thanking the crowd for a lovely evening and wishing them a safe drive home in the snow, the chants brought him back on stage for one more song. Caesar ended with “Japanese Denim,” one of the first singles from his impressive repertoire and left attendees reminded of his earlier catalogue before the breakthrough success.

Photo by @Villedepluie

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Music Quickspins

QUICKSPINS: Hot Pink is hot fire

Doja Cat - Hot Pink

Hip pop is in good hands with Doja Cat’s latest album

Let’s face it: no one expected Doja Cat to explode into such virality after releasing her meme-hit “MOOO!” The song is hilarious and is the antithesis to the current pop formula. She clearly knows her audience is composed of Twitter users and avid meme lovers.

Hot Pink doesn’t stray far from her hip pop formula used on “MOOO!” or her Amala mixtape from 2018. Her wide range of voices is undoubtedly influenced by Nicki Minaj’s earliest works, but it doesn’t feel like a carbon copy. “Say So” could easily reach the Billboard pop charts while “Juicy” with Tyga is already a proven hit.

Doja’s rapping is also strong and her flows are consistently on point. However, where she succeeds in technical style, her content lacks. “Cyber Sex” is a weak intro to an otherwise strong album. “Rules” features a chorus with a line that sounds like it was written by a “Tumblr girl” in 2012 (“Play with my pussy but don’t play with my emotions”).

Still, these weak moments are few and far between as the songs succeed in every other aspect. They’re fun, sexy, and immensely replayable. Standout “Streets” features a lovely B2K sample while the bass-heavy instrumental is an automatic add to a late-night drive playlist.

If Doja Cat is the leader of the new hip pop wave, then the subgenre is in good hands. She knows how to make a hit and how to make an album full of bops that aren’t boring, corny, or watered-down radio songs.

7.9/10

Trial Track: “Streets”

Star Bar:
“Baby, we tried to fight it
We all been there some days
Thought I need something else
And acted like I was okay
We just had to work it out
And baby, I needed space” (Doja Cat on “Streets”)

Categories
Music Quickspins

QUICKSPINS: Wiki – OOFIE

Wiki - Oofie

On OOFIE, the eccentric New York MC is growing up and growing weary of his place in hip hop’s landscape

When we last heard from Wiki, it was on his 2017 studio debut No Mountains in Manhattan. A beautiful love letter to his hometown, filled with bouncy beats and playful punchlines. Though it’s only been two years, it feels like a lifetime. He has grown up and grown more fearful of failure and being replaced.

On OOFIE, Wiki is expressing feelings of fear and doubt that we’ve never heard so openly in his music before. It’s an honest depiction of a teenage hip hop prodigy hitting his mid-20s, afraid that he might have also hit his ceiling. A sentiment that’s present throughout the album, though it’s almost paradoxical as he’s sharper than ever.

The fun qualities in his voice and delivery are still present, but are refined, making his words seem punchier and more purposeful. His flows range from simple and effective to dense and multi-syllabic, and on top of these structural improvements, his writing has gotten much more personal and emotionally striking.

He is joined on a few songs by a fantastic crop of features, including Princess Nokia and Lansky Jones. While they all do a great job, they do momentarily take away from how personal the project feels. It’s like watching a movie scene where the protagonist is delivering an emotional speech, and a supporting cast member interrupts him with an extended, unrelated monologue.

Wiki’s music is aging gracefully, improving on his most lovable qualities and using them to deliver more mature content. Shedding his label as the wild, whimsical young wordsmith from Manhattan, he has grown into being a young elder statesman and a pillar in New York’s independent hip hop scene.

8.5/10

Trial Track: “Downfall”

Star Bar: 

“Who is he? Is that what they’ll say in the eulogy?

Will they say between you and me

He was an idol when he was in the right mood

When he wasn’t fucked up, when he wasn’t tight, woo” (Wiki on “Downfall”)

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