Pickles the Firecat
Banned
Agree and disagree here. It definitely isn't a rap track, but Kendrick definitely doesn't "fade in and out" of the song. He raps over it as a rapper would over any beat. It brings the song down because again, like you said, it isn't a rap track. FlyLo's contemporaries are a little bit further ahead of him when it comes to integrating vocal artists with their work and have been for a long time. Stepping further, Esch isn't entirely incorrect when he says FlyLo is mechanical and lacks something soulful when he's not at the top of his game. How clinical and precise his approach is ends up really apparent when he isn't firing on all cylinders. Combine those two things--not being the best at creating tracks with artists instead of featuring artists + being mechanical at times--and it makes for the exact listening experience people are having. Kendrick sounds like a rapper going in on an atypical beat and the beat itself has an "everything but the kitchen sink" element to it. I would also say you can kind of feel the seams too easily and hear how it was sewn together.
Compare it to what FlyLo's peers are doing. Recent stuff, too. Think about Never Catch Me in the context of artists like Shabazz. Listen to it at and Forerunner Foray. Isn't Forerunner Foray more organic? Doesn't it blend together into a more coherent sonic vision? Rap is used as a supporting structure within the song, instead of being dropped on top of it.
I've mentioned Blue Hawaii twice now, but listen to how Raphaelle is used in Follow. That's a singular, harmonious sonic vision between vocalist and producer. It's also patience and allowing elements of a track to grow, hit, and breath, but I still think Never Catch Me will be fine with decent sequencing.
Direct contemporaries, born from the same scene: listen to how Nosaj weaves Kazu Makino into and around Eclipse/Blue. Not on the same level as the above (and not expressly intending to be) but better than FlyLo x Kendrick.
Thinking about jazz-descendant or inspired artists specifically, the mechanical issue (and his occasionally weak transitions/builds) is noticeable in comparison to dudes like Illum Sphere (Near The End, tho he suffers from it worse tbh) and Anenon (Acquiescence). Shit it's noticeable in comparison to his own prior work, since he overcomes it more often than not. And he'll never be on the same level of actual jazz as Bad Bad Not Good or someone like Brandt Brauer Frick (their works w/ orchestration, so like You Make Me Real). Mayaan Nidam is from further back and isn't entirely fair because she's a singular artist, but Milagro works better as a vocal paired jazz/electronic piece.
Obviously these records aren't trying to accomplish the same goals and achieve the same things as FlyLo/Kendrick are on this song. But how they approached their own goals illustrates a weakness in FlyLo and Kendrick's. Being fair the issue changes if you look at it as an actual rap song within typical rap lines. Then the beat just needs to be parsed down and Kendrick should mellow out. I would just be really disappointed if we have two artists as talented as FlyLo and Kendrick linking up, but the extent of their ambition is dope rap songs. Not that they need to aspire to more than dope rap songs, I would just really want that kind of project in my life.
Also at some point I should mention that I still super dig the song. Big fan of it. I'm just more excited by how much they can improve on it (and I have a ton of faith in both of them to recognize it). Future collabs can grow so much from this. And I think it will fit in context of the album. But just this song, in a vacuum? Dope, but disappointing. Little behind the work of both their peers. Highlights both their weaknesses despite their strengths being great enough to over come them.
but fuck all that. We're not gonna talk about Thundercat's bass on this record?!
Dude is a genius, barely needs to be said. He also just blends in better with the track.
