Real Name: Ricardo Valdez Valentine Born: 1992 Genre: R&B/ Alternative R&B Discography: Only 1 (Free 6lack) and a couple of features Label: LoveRenaissance/Interscope Interesting note: once battle rapped with Young Thug (I wonder who won) Another Note: he started out at 4, in his dad’s studio singing the opening line for his dad’s song
TRACKS
-Snare is snapping with the reversed somethings. I can’t tell what the thing is being reversed yet
-"I ain’t have nobody there so I had to tell myself when to go/if I was waiting on you I would never know"
-I like his bgv’s of the I would never’s. Perfectly placed in the mix
-This one, piano replaces the beat in the ambience/beat dept
-Subtle strings in the back
-”I swear no matter what I touch it breaks, so I no longer wanna see your face”
-”Haven’t you heard about my miserable past, critical past, pitiful past”
-Him got the worst luck with love, or maybe it’s him
-If she’s so independent, why does she want him
-Good combination of voices
-The run on "I’mma make you mine" is heavenly
-Nice body rolling shit
-Very laid back duet between some light singers
-Reverb is crossed and panned super wide
-I fucking love the syncopated muted snare
-Thumpin ass kick bass
-”I don’t wanna lose myself loving you”
-Overall an untrusting gf giving him ish
-There’s some syncopated snaps too!
-MY FAVORITE
-I love his sing-songy voice; it’s the perfect bgvs; raspy
-The whole video, this bish is just clinging to him which is nuts and he looks uncomfortable
-"You been around love but you never been in it"
-I’m just now learning to pay attention, but something is sampled backwards
-He’s free cuz he’s finally moved on; but at the same time, she still has a hold
-She thinks she’s free cuz she can run around, but she’s not really happy
-I actually don’t like when the break down comes; it was generic ya know
-In the video, as it goes, she’s tying his ass up. What I like most is that he gets all the way free and he still goes back to save her from the fire; captain save a hoes.
-Turns out she was a spider and that’s how she webbed him
-This one is actually featuring 6lack, but I fucks with it so here it is
-I want some bass so bad on this track…
-I love the intro, but then the main beat slows down of course
-Basic song is about hustling and moving in the streets
-”So I bow my head and pray, don’t let em get in my way”
-Never heard Malay lol
Summary
I LOVE THIS MAN!!!! If ya’ll wanna get me something for Thanksgiving, I am in the market for some tickets to see his show. Moving on, 6lack came out of nowhere on my ass. I remember hearing "Problems" for the first time and I was sold. He’s like the Weekend version of Anderson Paak and EVERYTHING is sung or harmonized. I would never categorize him as R&B, but he’s not quite a rapper. Hip-Hop artist is the correct term I spose, but that still doesn’t define a genre for him. Most beats are just ambience with a beat and instrumental breaks for bridges, so many of his tracks are laid back. I haven’t heard him get hype yet, which is unfortunate, but that might not be his style. Lyrically, this man paints beautiful pictures. Most of the songs are about love and lost love, but there’s the occasional track that is more about overcoming and growth. Furthermore, most every lyric presented is relatable no matter what. That’s hard to do. But in every song, you can replace yourself and it will fit the narrative. It’s easy to relate on topics of love, but still. I think his arrangements are amazing and it looks like he’s co-producing on these. I don’t have anymore to say. I just need the album to drop.