Back in 2012, Joey Bada$$ dropped his professional debut, the 1999 mixtape. On his opening track ’Summer Knights’, the then 17-year-old Brooklyn rapper exposes the disingenuous commercial trends of music in his line: “It’s been a minute since we seen a style wit no gimmicks”.
Enter Yusuf Yellow: the Leeds-based wordsmith who produces music that is devoid of any posturing or gimmicks and instead prioritises honesty in his vulnerable, confessional rap. With his new refreshing track ‘Would It Even Matter?’, Yellow refers back to the Bada$$ vision by being completely real with his emotions. Yellow is anything but cowardly with his lyrics, as he attacks his vanilla competition and vulnerably expresses his own insecurities in the same breath.
Opening with a hypnotic hook and a delectable Latin jazz vocal sample, the single is Yellow’s self-produced debut. Continuing his path of introspection, this new track plumbs deeper depths of catharsis and his ambitious inner-monologue. His vocals express fatigue and strain with flecks of refreshing vulnerability. It sounds like Yellow recorded his vocals in the dark corner of a room, tapping into his deepest emotions.
Despite his confessions of holes in his clothes and a diminishing bank balance, Yellow’s dreams of being on the road touring will undeniably become a near reality. His emotionally intelligent wordplay and original production are a special rarity that deserves to be heard on an International scale.
Meg Firth