Day 22: Never by JID // 8

genre: rap
drink: water
Diving a bit further into the current rap scene, I give you someone with scary talent. 

One of my favorite rappers is Kendrick Lamar. By proxy, an artist that can emulate his style and add a little of their own flair is next level in my book. JID isn't necessarily new, I just don't delve too much into hip hop and such. But man, this guy has so many different choices, his message is poignant, complex, and incites contemplation. Arguably his most popular song, NEVER represents to me the best of hip hop. 

I just want to preface this by saying that I don't really know where to approach evaluating rap songs. In lieu of that, I'll go with my gut feeling and give a more honest spiel. What stands out to me is his poeticism. His lyrics are not only easy to follow, but they are introspectively knit together to convey a powerful idea. There are numerous examples of parallelisms, plays on words and cultural references (shout out to Todd Gurley). Finally, in Lamarian fashion, the entire song pivots to give an entirely different beat and perspective. Love that type of stuff. I think one idea that would take this song through the roof is incorporating a more interesting dialogue within the instruments themselves. I'm not entirely fan of a looping backbeat, but that's just the genre. 

Rating: 8/10