Tuesday Tunes: Kevin Abstract and Lil Dicky

Kevin Abstracts’s “ARIZONA Baby”

At just 3 tracks the new Kevin abstract project beams with creativity.

The EP titled “ARIZONA Baby” opens up with “Big Wheels” a primarily fun and evocative song until the very end where a smooth instrumental passage hinders between alternative and hip hop simultaneously, creating a feeling of euphoric bliss. Here Abstract has mastered the art of the opener, reeling you in yet also holding you back just enough to remain curious.

The assumed banger or club hit of the EP is “Joy Ride” , a song in which Abstract’s voice dances freely within a field of auto tune, appealing to the tastes of mainstream hip hop fans while not losing artistic credibility. If anyone were to make the case for Abstract rising to hip hop stardom joining the likes of Drake and Travis Scott this song would be all they need.

“ARIZONA Baby’s” closer “Georgia”  uses a killer hook to create a feeling of nostalgia and positivity to the likes of “Acid Rap” era Chance the Rapper. It’s the type of song to play on a hot summer night only to listen to in the winter and be flooded with memories.

In short Kevin Abstract has created a much needed proof of his talent and literary merit. This ep seems like just the tip of the iceberg from one of Brockhamptons most promising members.

Lil Dicky’s “Earth”

Lil Dicky has done it again. First, it was “Save dat money,” then it was “Pillow talking” and “Freaky Friday,” and now its “Earth.”

On April 18th, rapper Dave Burd, aka “Lil Dicky” released his most recent single, “Earth” featuring 32 different artists.

This track portrays each artist as an animal in the world. Justin Bieber plays a Baboon, Ariana Grande plays a Zebra, and even Ed Sheeran plays a Koala. All of these different roles are used to address the current issues of climate change.

Most of Dicky’s inspiration and passion for the issue comes from Leonardo DiCaprio and all of the money made from the song and music video will be going to DiCaprio to donate in various ways to help the climate.

Dicky has a reputation of being a comedic rapper and he typically isn’t taken too seriously for that reason. However, he has proven with tracks such as “Molly” that he has a more serious side to him. Also, in tracks like Pillow talking, he showcased his lyrical ability and creative mind.

On “Earth,” Dicky does a great job of showcasing both of those talents by really explaining the issue at hand and giving a wide variety of examples showing why we are responsible.

With a very serious message, Dicky still manages to provide multiple moments of comedic relief by featuring Comedian, Kevin Hart as Kanye West, or even using NBA  All-Star Joel Embiid as a vocal sample along with many comedic lines throughout the track.

What started out as just a track about animals, Dicky became enlightened on the issue of climate change and his research really showed him the proximity of the issue.

“I didn’t know that we literally have 12 years to completely change how we do so many things on Earth, from a fundamental standpoint, or the damage will be irreversible and in our lifetimes we’re going to experience such drastic impact,”

“Upon realizing that, it went from a silly song about animals to, ‘Oh my God, this is the most important thing I’ll ever do.” Dicky said in an interview with Rolling stone Magazine.