The Cadence of Veeze
For the past few weeks, I’ve been encapsulated by the sound of Veeze. His voice is hazy and cloudy, but it’s hip and nonchalant. His flow most would consider lazy, but reflects the beats he chooses — laidback. It is as if he is not trying to prove he is rapping; rather, it’s as if he’s speaking to you. At the same time, I cannot stop myself from moving to it. It’s a groovy bop feeling as if I am that guy, nevertheless, it's only because I am listening to Veeze.
Yeah, he gang, but he ain’t Ganger, I wouldn’t split my pill with him
These niggas dumb, they’ll steal the steak, we was tryna make a meal with ‘em
-Veeze: Get Lucki
Considering he does not have a wide discography, it’s easy to package his sound, which is not bad. For me, it’s easy to digest and see the direction of where he is going. I was introduced to his album titled Ganger. More specifically, the song, “Get Lucki.” I cannot stop playing, endless replays. A smooth bop, where he flows effortlessly over. He does the same in “Luv the Tour.” It’s chilly cool, like Detroit, where he is from.
Thus far, he has released two full-length albums Ganger and Navy Wavy. His sound is most explicit and mature in Ganger. Ganger is most fleshed out and directs where he wants to go as an artist. I thoroughly enjoy it more than Navy Wavy where the beats are generic and he does not master the lazy flow that has this addictive earworm as Ganger.
Rich, no duh (no duh)
Bitch, I’m the plug (bitch, I’m the plug)
Blick in the club (blick in the club)
Switch on the gun (switch on the gun)
Expensive-ass cup (uh)
Bad bitch, no cuff — Veeze : Rich No Duh
Further down the list, you have songs that I enjoy such as “Rich No Duh,” “Luv The Tour,” “Not a Drill,” “GOMD,” and “Sexy Liar” — that’s me being generous. If I can compare his sound to anybody, I’m reminded of Babyface Ray. This is not to say Veeze does not have his own identity, however, I notice similarities between his cadence and Babyface Ray’s.
They both have a lazy, smooth, and intoxicating flow. For example, in Babyface Ray's song, Real Niggas Don’t Rap, he too has this cadence over a bop smooth laid-back beat just like Rich No Duh by Veeze. Similarly in songs like Tahoe, I get the same smooth, effortlessness as in Get Lucki. However, what differentiates the two?
Veeze unlike Babyface beat selection is whimsical, for example, in his song “Law and Order,” Which takes the sample of the show Law and Order — as Luh Tyler does — but makes its spin with the sample. Instead of taking the beat pattern and copying it with a piano (like Luh Tyler) — Veeze takes the actual beat and speeds it up. It is a whimsical beat selection, but he still raps over it with lazy seriousness.
This gives Veeze his intoxicating sound, the whimsy beat selection, that intertwines perfectly with his lazy hazy cadence. This gives the listener a coolness about themselves, that cannot be felt by another artist. Lazy cadences should not be underrated as a talent, it’s a difficult sound to pull off and few do to achieve appreciation. Lucki has gained recognition for having this sort of cadence. But few artists can pull it off and one of those few artists is Veeze.
