“Crying all the time, I’m tried of lying in these puddles…”
Under the surrealistic images and scenarios that adorn mythological stories, is an inherent truth that critiques the society that spawned the tale. Hip-Hop music, even with its rampant, many times self-indulgent tales of fiction, is no different when used correctly. But its takes a skilled artist, or group of emcees, to use the medium on that level. With the latest G.O.O.D. Friday/Saturday offering, Kanye West gets close to that creative plateau by bringing together Mos Def, Lupe Fiascom and series newcomer Big Sean.
Mos Def steps into the crooner role that Charlie Wilson handled early in the series. The refrain is a directive that doubly instructs on overcoming fear and trusting your abilities. The words Mos uses are simple, but it’s a concept each of the latter three emcees build on with narrative verses (“Don’t look down/It’s an impossible view/Fly like an eagle/Whatever you do…Spread your wings”).
Lupe Fiasco opening rhyme is the most abstract and symbolic story. He stays closest to the classical phoenix mythology by speaking on the heroine of his tale bursting into fire before going on her journey. Behind, she leaves a grief-stricken lover who pleads with her to stay. Lupe keeps himself in third-person, and cryptic enough that the verse could be taken several different ways. Are we witnessing a journey to the afterlife, a life-changing career move, or a medieval-styled execution? Each scenario is possible. But however you interpret it, Fiasco makes one thing clear; it’s a journey that’s not ending (“So let’s hear it for our heroine/Applaud as her spirit just flies into the never-end/ One closed chapter/It opens up another part/So this is more like/The end, question mark”).
Kanye’s short verse is far more tangible, as he speaks with fondness about a dissolved relationship. The beat, which kept a mellow mood with subtle, marching drum stabs, a synth guitar, and violin melody, begins to get noticeably louder with West’s rhyme. By the time it gets back to Mos for the chorus, the synthesized arrangements have taken over. When Kanye puts instrumental breaks in these G.O.O.D. Friday tracks, he normally has a legit singer like Bon Iver, Charlie Wilson, or John Legend to flesh it out. But here, West unwisely does it himself by using distorted, auto-tune-styled effects. It breaks the songs mood and takes it into the realm of a 808s & Heartbreaks throwaway.
Thankfully the interlude is short, and Big Sean finishes strong with the track’s best verse. Whether motivated by the beat or his first G.O.O.D. Friday appearance, Sean sheds his normal laid-back flow for an inspired rhyme on lost love, bitterness and anger. While Kanye understands his ex-lover moving on to “spread her wings,” Sean does not. He laments her leaving a “Dear John” letter, and details the hollow feeling that remains after indulging in scores of women. Even with an aggressive flow and sad content, Sean makes sure to sprinkle the verse with some of that Finally Famous humor to make sure no one gets depressed (“1-2-3-4-5 models on the double/Give me head all at once/Looks like they’re lined in a huddle”).
Last week’s “Take It for the Team” wasn’t terrible, but “Don’t Look Down” is a considerable step up in quality. See you all next Friday or Saturday.
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 