Will Hagle’s Keurig game is air-tight.
Upon first listen, you might think that Martin $ky is depriving us of something by not lending vocals to his latest Soundcloud original “You Know What To Do,” the very title of which can be viewed as a mocking reminder that “No We Don’t.” Gone is the verse-chorus-verse guidance of “Steam” or “Pearl Gawd,” two tracks on which $ky used words to help us connect-the-dots. On songs like those, we knew when we should be nodding our heads up and down, and when we should be flailing our locks sideways instead.
$ky’s overarching style can be summed up by the latter half of “Pearl Gawd”’s hook: “Dead presidents I need / But I don’t really fuck with the greed / Rapping all over this beat that I made / I be killing this shit with ease.” His cadence is simple and his words are straightforward, but the ease with which he approaches the mic certainly helps him kill it. And he makes his own beats.
“You Know What To Do” is one of those beats. It is just a beat. A verse-less, hook-less beat. One Soundcloud comment around the 3:43 mark echoes the sentiments of many: “YOU SERIOUSLY NOT GOING TO RAP OVER THIS?”
While $ky’s vocals enhance his other songs, they also force his production to become less complicated, to play the supporting role. By laying off the mic on this track, he demonstrates his ability to compose a cohesive song that speaks for itself.
The song contains a swirling vocal sample and relentless hi hats, punctuated by a chime that recurs at exactly the right moments. It’s hypnotizing, with elements building upon each other and fading in and out to give way to whatever’s coming next. The track avoids the repetitiveness that a lesser producer might use, opting instead for curveball after curveball, culminating in a changeup that lingers for the final 47 seconds. You could say that $ky knocked this one out of the park, but you get the sense that he’s actually the one on the mound, throwing pitches at us with which we very much don’t know what to do. We’re better off that way.
If $ky ever finds a way to work his own voice over “You Know What To Do,” it’ll either strengthen or ruin it. The power’s in his hands, and the rest of us can refresh our Soundcloud feeds accordingly.
