Never let it be said that rap music never tackles truly mature
subject matter. Nas manages to do just
that with his latest, an ode to divorce entitled “Bye Baby.” The song describes the painful realities of love
gone sour, and the sobering self-realization that occurs thereafter. It’s essentially an open note to his ex-wife,
Kelis. Surprisingly, it’s not a letter
of the poison pen, but a very open and honest correspondence his former spouse.
Producers Salaaam Remi and Noah Shebib reach back to the
early days of New Jack Swing for inspiration.
Five moody keystrokes from Guy’s “Goodbye Love” are looped into a heavenly
groove that facilitates emotional decompression. At the five second mark, Nas’ vocals come in. There’s urgency to the pacing of his words, almost
as if he doesn’t want to allow them any time to truly resonate. They demand to be released from the
confinement of his memory banks. By
contrast, the looped keys stroll along with a light step and a leisurely pace.
That feeling doesn’t abate for another 40 seconds, which is
how long it takes for the drums to finally kick in. Once they do, the sense of emotional unease
lifts as the different elements of the song fall into synch with each other. The lyrics are devoid of bitterness and
anger. They celebrate the good times while
simultaneously lamenting the bad. Nas ultimately
emerges at the other end of this proverbial dark tunnel with no regrets. By the close of the final verse, there’s a
tangible sense of relief, as though a massive weight has been lifted. “Bye Baby “ is a healthy transference of
energy. It’s nice to know that Hip-Hop
is capable of such things.
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