Right from the moment we press the play button forward, it’s hard to ignore the clubby atmosphere created by the anxious percussion and seething melody of the keys in the backdrop in Miss Kaniyah’s new single “I Look Good.” While it’s evident the song wasn’t created strictly for the dancefloor, the neon-stained harmonies that soon fill our speakers and beckon us closer to the swing of the verses in this track are reason enough to give it a second look – as well as a third and a fourth this season.
If you weren’t already aware, Miss Kaniyah’s music has become a big topic of discussion among critics in 2023, as her sudden rise through the ranks has sparked a lot of interest in the melodic hip-hop stylings she and others like her are championing out of the underground right now. Here, she’s overwhelmingly determined in tone, making quality crossover beats with a legit strain of melodicism that is stronger than most anything I’ve been getting from indie-pop players in the last few months. She’s smooth and stacked in her instrumental war chest, but more importantly, she’s got the collected attitude to be a good storyteller in the most complicated of arrangements.
The beat in this single is unquestionably essential to creating the vibe we get through the lyrics, and because Miss Kaniyah is hesitant to embrace the excited pacing of the percussion, she introduces a bit of discordance that only grows more and more enticing as we press on in the song.
Her lyrics are built off of her tonal delivery and the way she straddles the groove as opposed to anything else, which indicates a sense of freewheeling that has become harder to come by in the hip-hop genre over the past few years for reasons not many of us are keen on understanding anytime soon, especially when artists like this are coming out of the woodwork. Despite the urgent rhythm of the instruments in “I Look Good,” the woman of the hour herself is always sounding relaxed and cool in the eye of the hurricane, alluding to a comfortability that is only common among those at the top level of the hip-hop game today.
There’s certainly a lot of action going on in and outside of the viral beat at the moment, and if you’re looking for some of the hottest hooks debuting this season, you needn’t search any further than the music of Miss Kaniyah. “I Look Good” isn’t her first alluring piece of material to hit record store shelves in 2023, but instead the most evolved of any composition she’s added to her discography thus far.
The rebellious swing of the music isn’t the only attribute this groove anthem has to offer listeners – it’s simply a jumping-off point Miss Kaniyah utilizes in making every element of the song something we can connect with and feel in our chest. The pulse of an incendiary music scene is behind this single, and I for one think it’s going to bring the creator a lot more attention in the next few months.
