From My Own Perspective

Post Malone featuring Justin Bieber “Deja Vu”

I was in a car in Los Angeles last week with my friend Daniel and he decided it was a good time for me to hear some Post Malone. For whatever reason, I just hadn’t listened to Post Malone. I had no preconceived notions or bias against the guy – all I knew was that he was a white rapper and fairly popular, and that I didn’t know of anyone who really cared about his music, so I didn’t feel compelled to seek it out. My immediate impression upon hearing a few tracks was that he sounded kinda like Future, but with more vulnerability in his voice.

Daniel hyped up “Deja Vu” before playing it for me, saying that it sounded like Stereolab, but with Justin Bieber as Laetitia Sadier. I am always wary of people saying things sound like Stereolab because publicists are always sending me things like “sounds like Stereolab!” when maybe, at most, there’s just a keyboard on it and not even a type of keyboard Tim Gane would own. (This is kinda weird thing for publicists to do since Stereolab is not actually a popular band and most writers under 35 are not familiar with their music.) But you know what? I totally get it. The central keyboard part in this song absolutely does sound like something that could’ve been on Dots and Loops, and Daniel is right that Bieber’s part would’ve sounded better he sang it in French. The rest of it is still much closer to stoned Future-esque rap, but it’s musically a lot more interesting and Post Malone’s voice is richer and more melancholy. Bieber sounds great too – unapologetically soft and feminine, and notably unguarded compared to other tracks where he’s trying hard to seem cool.

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Bobo Swae featuring Rae Sremmurd “Rowdy”

What a great example of making the most of two chords. “Rowdy” is in a state of musical stasis for nearly five minutes, but it still feels dynamic in the way these two bell tones seem to move slowly from left to right. Bobo Swae sounds drowsy on the beat, and he delivers his lines in a breathy, soft-spoken voice just shy of a full-on Ying Yang Twins “Wait” whisper. The members of Rae Sremmurd aren’t that much more energetic, but I like what they do here. Slim Jxmmi is a bit more aggressive, while Swae Lee’s voice is slow and stoned, but also playful in how he dodges some easy rhymes in favor of more flamboyant inflections. This is exactly what I like to hear in a posse track – a steady center supported verses that contrast nicely and complement each other.

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