Forget the minimalism that a lot of rappers have been wearing like a brand new fur coat lately – Star2 wants to use excess as his secret weapon, and with $tupid Young in the new single “Big Bands,” he’s restoring some long-missing hedonism to a genre that was built on as much some forty-plus years ago. There isn’t one specific element in “Big Bands” that sounds overindulgent, but instead a collective feeling of decadence that Star2 is able to turn into chills, mostly with his deft delivery and pivot-dynamic with $tupid Young. I like the direction he’s taking, and I can see other hip-hop aficionados agreeing with me here.
Forget the minimalism that a lot of rappers have been wearing like a brand new fur coat lately – Star2 wants to use excess as his secret weapon, and with $tupid Young in the new single “Big Bands,” he’s restoring some long-missing hedonism to a genre that was built on as much some forty-plus years ago. There isn’t one specific element in “Big Bands” that sounds overindulgent, but instead a collective feeling of decadence that Star2 is able to turn into chills, mostly with his deft delivery and pivot-dynamic with $tupid Young. I like the direction he’s taking, and I can see other hip-hop aficionados agreeing with me here.
There’s way too much focus on overstating a bassline in rap at the moment, but this hasn’t been something I encounter in a lot of this player’s music. Contrarily, Star2 has been more dependent on percussive elements than he ever has on the fatter bass parts some of his peers are building their entire sound around, and this is no different in “Big Bands.” We don’t really need as much from the drums as we’re getting, but at the same time, I think it’s a fine tradeoff for the sloshy bassline mud that has been slipping into otherwise high-quality indie hip-hop releases all year long.
Star2 is deserving of the buzz he keeps scoring every time he steps out of the recording studio, and as much as I love the chemistry he’s got with $tupid Young, this track makes me want to hear him collaborate with more women and melodic singers in the future. He can get a lot done with another star rapper in the room with him, but pushing himself more on the poetic end of his artistry might be a good move as he continues posturing for the mainstream exposure he’s inevitably going to embrace at one point or another (probably in the near future).
