BY ACCESSING, USING OR SIGNING UP FOR THIS WEBSITE, OUR NEWSLETTERS, OR ANY OTHER SERVICES AND FEATURES, YOU ARE CONCLUDING A LEGALLY BINDING AGREEMENT BASED ON THESE TERMS WITH INSPIRIT AI. There In Spirit shows an upside to staying in the game as you start to age: Once you’ve cut your teeth and proved your worth, you can relax a little bit, reflect, and breathe.Terms and Conditions THESE ARE THE GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS GOVERNING YOUR USE OF THIS WEBSITE AND OUR SERVICES. Where his work has so often been focused on lyrical invention, the cathartic expression of a track like “Feels so Good to Cry” reveals a simpler purpose, allowing his writing to become more diaristic. There’s a dose of real vulnerability to There In Spirit, frequently framed with sly humor as a disarming mechanism. He’s not necessarily guarded, just protected. Sandman’s relationship with his interiority parallels his relationship with technology. Homeboy’s skepticism of social media hasn’t waned since 2018’s “Never Use The Internet Again.” He’s frequently at odds with digital life, and he succinctly depicts his relationship with technology on “The Only Constant”: “Got emojis from my godfolks/Couldn’t see em cuz I don’t have an iPhone.” He comes off like a rap game Monsieur Hulot, responding with droll confusion and bemusement to how the world has changed. The hook of “Stand Up”-“If you don’t stand up, they’ll never stop”-is repeated with a clipped ferocity more befitting a battle cry or mantra than a chorus. Album opener “Something Fly” hinges on his inflection of the word “something,” which he clips and twists into a multitude of meanings. Repetition becomes a pointed rhetorical device, forming the very structure of his songs. He’s more than able to pick up the tempo when he wants to, but here, he focuses on forming a melodic chain of allegory and slice-of-life-imagery, stretching his muscles more than flexing them. The key to his longevity is moving at a consistent pace, rather than dashing to get the first word in, like a veteran fighter choosing his blows carefully instead of rushing in hot. With sarcastic defiance on album closer “Epiphany,” he declares a well-earned indifference to the opinions of critics, haters, or jealous peers: “These people do not have swag.” While he’s concerned about the world at large, he ultimately keeps a cool distance by recognizing that those who would try to make him feel insecure are deeply dissatisfied themselves. Illingsworth’s beats have an analog warmth, pulling samples of string tremolos, piano lines, and soothing vocals from soul and vintage pop, to most vivid effect on “Voices (alright).” But the production is not entirely a throwback, fused with electronic wonkiness, like the fluttering hi-hats and bassy synth lines on “Keep That Same Energy.” These are beats that sound like they were chopped up live on an MPC, unquantized and human even when flirting with more futuristic textures.Īs he enters his 40s, Homeboy Sandman is more mindful and cautious, sounding like a rapper who has worked too hard to chase clout or confine himself to trends. Fittingly, his productions are somewhere between Dilla-ish soul chops and the cartoonish electronics of the L.A. Sandman’s more unguarded bars pair well with the enveloping beats of Detroit stalwart Illingsworth, who has previously appeared on records by Open Mike Eagle and R.A.P. Though he’s capable of constructing dense bars and elaborate webs of words, there’s a restraint to There In Spirit that feels slightly more intimate, an acknowledgement that sometimes the most straightforward word is the most evocative. The words arrive fairly directly, without much dense metaphor or description, his voice endowing even the simplest of words with a charismatic weight. On the anthemic “Stand Up,” each couplet and bar comes together like two hands shaking, interlocked tightly together. While other backpack rappers might have spiraled off into abstraction, Homeboy Sandman has found a bluntness in maturity, bringing a deadpan precision and defined sense of melody to his flow.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |