Today's decidedly not retro song of the day is Flying Lotus' Never Catch Me (feat. Kendrick Lamar). When you ask the kids interested in rap today who their favorite rapper is, my guess is that you'll get plenty of answers of Drake, J-Cole, Future, and Kendrick, but my guess is that Kendrick would probably the modal answer.
This track, published at the top of his game, demonstrates brilliantly why Kendrick is the best in the game today, yet despite all of his brilliance, Flying Lotus' production is the best part of the track. Kendrick gives it his all, delivering a blistering verse with his incomparable blend of wit, superb flow, profound introspection, and technical excellence. He also delivers a remarkably catchy and and melodic hook reminiscent of the gods of the rap hook, Clipse.
But Flying Lotus is on top of his game as well, and his production does its part not only to compliment Kendrick's verse magnificently (only Kendrick could really rap on this beat, so it's not surprising), but also completely carries this track with an outro that composes half the song, yet still, years later, gives me chills each and every time I hear it.
Flying Lotus' brilliant combination of electronic tones, live instrumentation, and jazz/hip hop fusion is on full display here, and it's a wonder to behold. While his full records never quite live up to the peak of his creative output, for individual songs he is the among the pantheon of the best producers who've ever lived, and this track shows it.
Anyway, check out the track. It's got something for everyone, and is a masterpiece of modern hip-hop.
-TRO
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