Karat 24: Songs On the Rise, a Few Throwbacks, and Sleepers You Might Have Missed
Karat 24 is a continuous collection of 24 buzzing hip hop/R&B songs, a few throwbacks, and a few tracks you may have snubbed or didn’t know about, but should. Spreading light and shedding light.
Liner Notes
-editorial insights, backstories and reviews into a few of the artists/songs that appear on the Karat 24 playlist. Stay updated with the playlist here.
Sonder — Too Fast
Donald Glover’s FX masterwork Atlanta returns on March 1 for its long-awaited sophomore season — 18 months after it debuted to cultural (and critical) acclaim. Under the ad hoc title Atlanta Robbin’ Season, the new episodes will be centered around the holidays and will explore the perilous circumstances that underscore the typical, commercial Christmas pomp. At a Television Critics Association panel, head story editor Stephen Glover described the story’s yule juxtaposition as it relates to the Atlanta characters:
“People have gifts, have more stuff, and money. You might get your package stolen off your front porch. While we were there, my neighbor got her car stolen from her driveway. It’s a very tense and desperate time. Our characters are in a desperate transition from their old lives to where they’re headed now. And Robbin’ Season is a metaphor to where we are now.”
To help convey that context, Sonder’s “Too Fast” — a ballad with vague lamentations about survivalism — soundtracks the new season’s first trailer as the cast is shuffled through various scenes. And in true Atlanta manner, the entire bit is a slice of “hood surrealism” and irony.
First, the track “Too Fast” is a subtle paradox: Brent Faiyaz’ hook about “living at the speed of light, like a bullet” waltzes over the down-tempo beat — and combined, the song assumes a more reflective tone than boastful. Meanwhile the clip clocks in at exactly one minute, or 60 seconds — as in Gone in 60 Seconds — a probable nod to the Nicholas Cage fast-life heist film.
Unpacking more, even the definition of the group name Sonder adds texture to the trailer and the overall direction of Robbin’ Season. Taken from The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows — a compilation of invented words by John Koenig that describe obscure emotions — sonder is defined as
“The realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own — populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries and inherited craziness — an epic story that continues invisibly around you.”
This scenario is depicted throughout the dark trailer. While Earn and crew are spotlighted, they appear oblivious to the activity outside of their circle, like the cash theft and home invasion.
Such crafty nuances have afforded Atlanta a cult viewership. And If this layered clip is indicative of Robbin’ Season’s forthcoming quality, the time on hiatus was spent wisely.
BlocBoy JB — Shoot
By conventional standards, “Shoot” should probably not be a hit. With its no-frills beat and murky vocal mix, it’s the type of song that would normally ping pong throughout Memphis nightclubs and fizzles out as an open-mic night novelty. And this could have been the case for BlocBoy JB’s breakout track, but this feels different. Akin to fellow Memphis upstart Moneybagg Yo’s rise, it feels like a movement. It feels like Memphis.
Inasmuch as dice shooting is a time-honored, Memphis high school-bathroom pastime, “Shoot” has become its unabashed anthem. It’s a subject that instantly connects with underground Memphis culture, and the song’s authentic Memphis sound — channeled through local beatmaker Tay Keith’s production — conjures a mid-90s Three Six Mafia spirit with its lo-fi vibe and catchy, multi-layered yet simple hook. But it’s the visual element that completes “Shoot’s” organic cypher and shoves JB into national appeal.
The “shoot dance” is the life of the BlocBoy JB’s Fredrick Ali-directed bloc party that doubles as a video. Mimicking the motions of dice shaking and throwing, the infectious bounce has inspired YouTube tutorials and challenges while invading college and pro sports’ locker rooms. Odell Beckham, Jr. added the dance to his celebration arsenal and the Baltimore Ravens’ D-line has also endorsed. The organic attention is a testament to JB’s potenial as a bona fide mainstream act: he combines Project Pat’s grime with Crunchy Black’s blitheness.
JB’s wave is rising, and his recent, most serviceable co-sign from Drake is proof. Weeks after several teaser clips of the two together cropped up on social media, the pair dropped “Look Alive,” a contagious bop that follows JB’s previous formula: Tay Keith’s production and Frederick Ali’s video direction. It all works for the good of both, and with Drake’s assist, the official YouTube video had amassed 2.6 million views in its first day. The wave is crashing on the shores of mainstream spotlight.
