“Beat weird as hell”
—YouTube comment by user scure
Lordy me, this beat!!! Talk about a lush background, maybe TOO lush for some rappers. Not for Boat & Valee though. Fearless chaps, those two. You already know Lil Yachty as having an affinity for left-field hip-hop approaches—at times, perhaps too left-field, e.g. the lackluster and cutesy Teenage Emotions, which was a let down for loyalists enamored by his aloof detachment on “Lil Boat” and “Minnesota”. Admittedly, those two breakout hits were successful because of the same cutesy, bubbly aura that oversaturated Teenage Emotions, but unlike his debut album, these early songs were balanced by an assured confidence that what he was doing wasn’t 100% silly. In other words, it sounded like he was taking himself seriously, but not too seriously. When it came to irony versus earnestness, Yachty’s intent was muddled, something á la Lil B or Soulja Boy, and fans seemed to revel in that. Sadly, Teenage Emotions was a step too far in the direction of puerile antics, and listening to it required the listener to embrace a cutesy, flaunting disposition.
Not trying to riff on Yachty. I’m saying all this to put into context “Wombo” (and Lil Boat 2, an album I thoroughly enjoyed), which is good in an early-Yachty way, exemplifying a bounceback from what could have been a tragic falling-off. Boat’s recent work sees him coming into himself, older, more experienced, more wary of the delicate touch required when trying to balance silly sing-song flows with earnest emotion and delivery. Which is great, because now there’s another rapper on the scene of a similar ilk, someone in a parallel lane. Valee, whose flow is certainly less goofy/fun-loving than Yachty’s, still has the flavor of someone who cares not-one-bit about what other rappers are doing, and embodies an aloof demeanor, plays around with rhythm and “beat weird as hell” producers the same way Yachty does. Dare I say the G.O.O.D. Music signee has a bright future?
Anywho, enough chat. Bump this track and listen to Lil Yachty and Valee complement each other’s idiosyncratic flows over an absolutely wavy instrumental, and hope for more collabs in the future???
More about: Lil Yachty, Valee
