The latest from Snoh Aalegra, Kid Cudi and Eminem, Tory Lanez, YG, Russ and others.
I hate singles.
If they're good, they don't hit as hard in the context of the actual project because you've already heard and overplayed them(i.e. Jhene Aiko's Chilombo). If they're bad, they create a negative fog around a project before you even get to hear it in full context(i.e. PARTYNEXTDOOR's PARTYMOBILE).
There are a few exceptions.
For example, the singles from The Weeknd's After Hours found the balance between being great songs and not spoiling the album. While the singles were major radio hits by album release, they weren't the highpoints of the album, so fans hadn't already experienced the best of the project.
Sadly, After Hours is a rare exception, so again, I hate singles.
With that being said, here's the debut of a weekly series dedicated to rating singles.
How it works: Each song will get a short review followed by a Tinder-style rating of swipe right or swipe left. For Tinder context, swipe right means approval, and swipe left means rejection.
The same concept applies to this series, but instead of the swipe deciding masturbation or no masturbation, they dictate whether or not a single is worth the stream.
Disclaimer: If the intro didn't give it away, this series is freer than other articles on SoundSports. Bias will show. Jokes will flow. If you happen to be a recruiter trying to gauge my fit in your company, pick another article.
Snoh Aalegra "DYING 4 YOUR LOVE"
Swipe right.
Sorry for the spoiler; a review wasn't really necessary. This is Snoh's first solo performance since releasing arguably the best project of 2019.
It's worth the listen off merit alone.
If a review is really needed, the single is good, and it's an encouraging sign of what’s to come. The high-quality video paired with Snoh's strong marketing of the project gives the impression that "DYING 4 YOUR LOVE" is more than a quarantine throwaway, and it gives a glimmer of insight into what the followup of -Ugh, those feels again will sound like.
The song's lyrics reveal Snoh hasn't completely healed since her vulnerable 2019 standout, as she sings lines like, "tell me how, am I supposed to go ahead and just erase, every feeling, every memory we share?" And while that sucks for her, it's great for the music and her heartbroken fans.
Shoutout heartbreak.
Swipe Right
Kid Cudi & Eminem "The Adventures of Moon Man & Slim Shady"
Much like every other music lover, when I heard two legends like Kid Cudi and Eminem had a single coming out, I asked God, "why?"
It felt like Chris Paul announcing he successfully recruited Carmelo Anthony in the 2020 offseason.
In 2009, the collaboration would've been the greatest thing ever. In 2013, I would‘ve loved to have seen the end of their primes together. Even in 2018, a ripple of anticipation would've passed through my body. But in 2020, the announcement just felt like seeing a 24-year-old post his high school Hudl highlight tape.
I was confused and sad and ready to bully.
But the Hudl tape wasn't bad.
Kid Cudi raps like he knows Eminem has a verse on the song and he shows off one of his more refined flows in recent memory. His lyrics are also classic Cudi, as he details overcoming addiction and his reborn confidence.
From a technical standpoint, Eminem meshes surprisingly well with Cudi. It’s not until he touches on an insane amount of subjects until the pairing feels unnatural.
From Coronavirus to the government to police brutality to battling age to Drew Brees, Eminem leaves the listener with a lot to unpack compared to Cudi's typical subject matter.
Another interesting part of the song was the use of the "ah, ah, ah" sample popularized by Drake's "Show Me a Good Time", considering Drake and Kid Cudi's rocky history. Granted, according to No I.D., it was Kanye West's idea to include the sound anyways.
*Insert Druski meme*.
Did that last paragraph have much to do with the quality of the song? No. Was it included mainly to show off my sample recognition? Maybe, fight me.
Slide Right
Tory Lanez "The VVS Capsule"
Prior to releasing The New Toronto 3, Tory Lanez revealed that the project would be his last under his then-contract and he was saving “the real hits” for when he became independent.
“I waited and calculated for 4 years to be my own boss. I own all my masters, publishing, royalties etc. This may mean nothing to y’all but seeing my record label at the bottom unattached to a major label is what we have worked this hard for.”
Lanez' first independent single, "Temperature Rising", peaked at #14 on Billboard's Hot R&B chart and stayed for four weeks. While the song was good, it wasn’t what you would expect an artist of Tory Lanez' caliber to classify as a "real hit".
Perhaps that's why I expected Lanez to capitalize off his feature on Jack Harlow's hit "What's Poppin" with one of those real hits this single release.
To my disappointment, he did not. Nothing about the VVS Capsule is gripping or memorable.
"Stacatto" is the better song of the two, and it's filled with lackluster lyrics and stale references.
Swipe Left
Russ "Give Up"
The term "bubblegum music" is defined as, "pop music that is upbeat and considered to be disposable, contrived, or marketed for children and adolescents."
I am well aware that I don't fall under Russ's or bubblegum music’s target demographic. I tried to take that into account when listening to this single, but I just can't accept a bubblegum single as good music, especially from someone like Russ who's capable of making an annoyingly good single.
Swipe Left
YG "Swag"
Not one day should go by that YG doesn't thank Chance the Rapper for existing. Without Chance, YG's fall off from great to corny would flood his comments daily.
Quick self-reflection question: How many repetitions of the word "swag" in 2020 until you ask yourself, "What's wrong with me?"
3? 5? 15?
YG said “swag” 70 times. In 2020. And he released a music video that wasn't an apology.
If I was a prosecuting lawyer, I wouldn't even deem it necessary to bring up the corny Coronavius bar or the irrelevant Kaepernick visual because the jury had enough evidence to convict YG as corny around the 20th "swag".
What's even worse than having YG repeat swag while wearing an SNL Kaepernick costume is the fact that the single is here to stay. "Swag" is currently trending on YouTube, and one listen to the song will reveal it's tailor-made to blow up on TikTok.
Swipe Left
H.E.R. "Do to Me"
H.E.R. sampling Sister Nancy's "Bam Bam" for a reggae-style single is interesting. On one hand, it shows the diversity of H.E.R., but on the other, it makes you miss Rihanna.
Rihanna would turn this track from a slept-on single into the biggest song of the last few summers.
That's no knock on H.E.R.'s performance. The single's sound is just naturally associated with Rihanna, similar to Teyana Taylor's "Bad".
The song is as good as you would expect a reggae-style H.E.R. track to be, but it doesn't match who she is as an artist, other than serving as an example of her talent. It feels more like a H.E.R. reference track than a H.E.R. single, so if you're a fan of or familiar with her, the track feels empty.
Slide Left
KAYTRANADA "Look Easy" feat. Lucky Daye
KAYTRANADA and Lucky Daye. C'mon, you know which way this single is being slid.
There's not much to be reviewed. The song is about 50 words total, and KAYTRANADA is KAYTRANADA, so the production quality goes without saying.
However, due to functions currently being deadly, this single is a draft and stash until whatever Phase permits clubs and parties, but the track's likelihood of being forgotten with time will make it hit that much harder when it does finally get played in public.
Slide Right
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