Classy Like A Ring-Necked Pheasant

Swet Shop Boys “Birding”

My favorite thing about Heems as a rapper is his playfulness – he makes rapping sound like a fun game without tipping so far into nerdiness that he negates the swagger essential to nearly all great hip-hop. He seems to take great joy in finding a way to make a convincing rap out of any topic, not just to prove his prowess as a lyricist, but to display the remarkable elasticity of hip-hop as a form. In this case he is literally rapping about birdwatching, and gradually shifts from braggy, horny wordplay to just straight-up working in as many shout-outs to bird species as he possibly can on a three minute track. It’s ridiculous and wonderful, and I don’t think there’s anyone else who could’ve pulled this off while still sounding very cool.

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