Music Review // The Bapti$$ "Mister 808"

 

I'm not sure why, but the name The Bapit$$ just looks like a hip hop name to me and as this song proves it is exactly that.   If you are unfamiliary with the numbers "808" they often refer to hip hop as well- the beats- and so having a song called "Mister 808" just screams hip hop to me and it is.   Somehow this is close to being a hip hop type of ballad, while on the surface it can feel like quite a minimal song but when you really examine it there is a lot happening to make it much more complex than it seems.

Maybe it's the style of singing or maybe it's because he's one of the only current type of rappers I listen to, but this sound reminds me of Post Malone even though it is not 100% quite like him.  It could even be thought of as a more minimal, less pop version of "Sunflower" if you really want to break it down.  But within the music, which can include a guitar solo of all things, comes the lessons.  Those begin right away in the lyrics with the lines: "I use to deal / I used to steal".  It's also nice that hip hop can feel more reformed and less gangster than it was back in the day when I was really heavily into it.

One thing I think people can overlook in hip hop is the way that the lyrics can be poetry.  Yes, the chorus can simply be about the women and the fellas wanting the smoke, but some lines that you might not expect come out in here as well.  Lines such as "The night needs stars so I get my shine on" just hit in ways that not everyone can use words to hit.  Even if you feel like there is a raw quality to this which can make it street, you still have to appreciate that understated beauty of it all.

While I don't want to feel like I'm underestimating this song at all, there is a certain calming aspect to it.  The sound might not be pure pop, but it isn't really abrasive and the beats don't hit hard enough to annoy.  In some ways it feels like a lullaby, but I wouldn't recommend using it to try and sleep. It just has that pure melody about it that isn't always there in music but can often times not offend anyone an just become universally loved and accepted.