Max Bell infrequently boogie boards.
Homeboy Sandman is back. Homeboy Sandman never really went anywhere. In 2013, he offered devotees two EPs: Kool Herc: Fertile Crescent (with producer El Rntc) and All That I Hold Dear (with M Slago).
For the final installment in this trio of EPs pairing Boy Sand with a single producer, he’s brought Paul White into the fold. White Sands is the name of their forthcoming (Feb. 25th) collabo, and “Wade in the Water” is the first single.
Paul White, who deserves at least a Caldecott Award for his work on Danny Brown’s Old, is in top form. With “Wade in the Water” he’s made mellow jungle bounce for those who enjoy things that boom and bap. The bass line winds with the speed and grace of the deadliest snakes you’re apt to see on Nat Geo. And the tambourine, paired with the Heart of Darkness drums, makes it seem like Mr. Kurtz may have been exaggerating the horror.
As far as the words are concerned, the man who used to read Fidel and listen to Big L turns one of the most famed spirituals of all time sexual ( “Follow my gut / While your mind is boggled you can fondle my nuts / If you’re feeling hollow you can swallow one up.”). Sandman flips one of the most well-known lines from Biz Markie’s “Just a Friend,” disses every rapper he used to look up to, and still admits to putting his quarters in the wrong dryer. He’s having fun with his flow, shifting syllables with ease and dexterity. Among supremely talented lyrical rappers, he’s camped with those ‘that run stuff.’
Below are videos for songs from the previous Sandman EPs, for you to bathe in or at least dry yourself off.
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