This is a great execution of the track, right from production to the naming of the track, and to the feature, and many other hidden nuances that I may not uncover, considering how thoughtful and intentional Zack Otieno often is. First, kudos to the producer. He understands Dena Blaze’s rapping style.
By slowing down the tempo of the beat for Dena, he may have inadvertently intended to set him up for outrapping Zack. Otherwise, it was an intentional, malicious attempt to trip Zack on his own track. Unfortunately, as they say, one man’s meat is another man’s poison. Zack thrives on high-tempo beats.
At this point, my reverence for Zack’s genius is becoming unfathomable. I mean, where did he get the idea of that sample from? Or rather, how did he get the sample? That’s my kind of stuff. Look, I’m not a rapper, but such genius ideas should only belong to me, and me alone. I’m utterly jealous.
Let me talk about the naming of the track. It’s not only about the name of the track and the sample, but also the cover art and vibe that the song evokes. See, on an Opera Night, especially when starring rappers, you want to create space within songs or performances for the audience to sip their wines and internationalize the bars. Dena’s low-tempo, almost mellow bars offer that much-needed breather.
I’m helplessly torn between Zack’s first and last verses. The ratchetness and candor he displayed when he rapped “the ghetto nigga sounding like I’m from the suburbs” and how he might as well “turn around and drop [his] vids on Bangbros” can easily be juxtaposed to the virtuosic braggadocio of “fuck the surface-level thinking, I’m driven by deep purpose / making hits is beneath me, I welcome creating classics – the kind of shit 20 years from now, y’all still be blasting…”
To borrow from Kendrick Lamar, is it weakness or wickedness? In an attempt to choose the best verse: Is it fury or finesse? As much as I like raw emotion and unfiltered energy, I never thrive in physical spaces resembling them – I only largely enjoy it from afar. But lyrical craftsmanship, especially when steeped in calculated elegance? That’s where I live. So, last verse for me.
If part of an album or EP rollout, then it has worked. I have noticed that the double and triple entendres, which are often liked by Zack, are missing. But it has not compromised the quality of the song. Sometimes, if you want people to simply enjoy your art, you have to say “Fuck a double entendre, I want y’all to feel this shit,” as Kendrick Lamar put it on wacced out murals. And if someone complains, Zack should refer them to his old tapes.
