In which the Neptunes reveal how many times they listened to Low End Theory in high school. No surprise to anyone who saw the Tribe Called Quest doc, but a warm if not regressive approach to doing a track with Kendrick, who has the most Q-Tip-like voice since Justin Warfield became the first average rapper embraced by a pre-Barman Prince Paul (though this was the jam, as was this.)
Buddy is the new Neptune protege and he dropped a song called “Awesome Awesome” last October that was merely pretty good. Maybe he is someone’s cousin? Either way, this is no “Elevators (Me & You).” Merely inspirational Anthony Robbins rap over some sun-baked jazz chords. As for Kendrick, he does what Kendrick does. If you strip Buddy from the track and added a better hook, this could well have been Kendrick’s “Paris, Tokyo.” The album cut that appeals to people have learned to suppress how much they miss the 90s and/or who have Donuts tattoos. I enjoy it, even if I prefer not to employ 8th grade metaphors about what gets me high.
Tracks below the jump.
Download:
MP3: Buddy ft. Kendrick Lamar – “Staircases” (prod. by Neptunes)
