Tosten Burks has his seatbelt safely fastened.
As the New Year settles in, a new weed anthem surfaces. To whom else would we entrust the responsibility other than the venerable Juicy J?
In the midst of a mid-30s career resurgence – the fountain of youth is apparently in Lex Luger’s basement – Juicy jumps on a Left Brain track called “Lift” with the Odd rapscallions Hodgy Beats and Domo Genesis. The result is a satisfying ode to herb and indulgence and also a lesson to the youth in how to deliver such an ode with a grin on one’s face.
At its essence, there are the obligatory spacey synth whines wandering around in the upper register and an effectively succinct summation of why everyone is there in the first place. “Thirty thousand feet, thirty thousand feet” the hook chants. Get it? They’re really high.
There is depth though in the contrast in stoner style between the two young Wolf Gangbangers and a man almost old enough to be their father.
While Domo and Hodgy and the rest of OF can be overbearingly rebellious, Juicy stands behind them, cross faded and not giving a fuck, making their posturing look almost cute. The 36-year-old is probably just as immature as the youngsters out of LA, he’s just cooler about it. His classic comic ignorance balances the angsty Odd Future indulgence with a more polished, shameless type of excess.
Even here, with Domo and Hodgy at their most low-key and low-stakes, they still seem to demand validation and justification for their work and recklessness. Just two bars in, Domo is calling out haters who would ever doubt that Juicy J would work with him. On the other hand, the Three-6-alumn just purely acts reckless for the sake of it: “Juicy J be high as hell/hit the drink, I might as well/Find that bitch, excite that bitch and give her dick but please don’t tell.”
All of which isn’t to say that Domo and Hodgy come off as sterile or anything. “Lift” succeeds because it’s angsty and also a good time. It shows that maybe Odd Future doesn’t need to tone down the provocativeness as much as just balance it with some happy revelry.
It’s great to stir the pot. But that works best when it sounds like throw something trippy into the mix and enjoy doing the stirring.
Download:
MP3: Hodgy Beats ft. Domo Genesis & Juicy J (prod. by Left Brain)-“Lift”
