As the temperatures rise and the garments shrink, a time honored tradition is taking center stage in Hip Hop. The need for us to curate our playlists with the hottest new releases, pack up for the beach and hit the road. The coveted "Summer Jam" is something every artist aspires to create. Even those that pretend not to like party anthems or dance hits get sucked into the allure of the "Summer Jam". And this year we have an early front runner for the season of siestas' song, "Chico" from Brownboi Maj ft. Kap G. & Wiz Khalifa. Produced by the massively talented Tony Choc, "Chico" feels like a celebration of success with a subversive twist of ambition and motivation mixed in. The second it starts it pulls you in by pulling you out of your chair and making you dance, Carlos Santana would be proud.
Brownboi Maj blends Spanish and English perfectly to great effect. Opting for an approach that highlights both the lyrical content and his cadence, Maj brings his creative "A" game in a song with some heavy hitters. The ability of speaking on a subject in two languages could be easy to rely on but Maj delivers emphatic bars in both Spanish and English that feel like two sides to the same coin giving the listener a more well rounded picture of his story. A story about being so caught up in your drive and passions that you don't even acknowledge everyone that is trying to get their hands in your pockets. He is all about his business, a story that we can all aspire to create for ourselves.
From places like Puerto Rico to Ibiza, Wiz Khalifa takes us on a tropical trip around the world in the second verse. Definitely hitting the right notes along the way, Wiz uses the continent hoping to showcase his affinity for smoking marijuana with beautiful women. Careful to stay focused and not get too caught up in his island excursions, Wiz ends his verse with an emphatic "They love some young Khalifa, I just love 'em then I leave 'em".
Coming in after Wiz is no easy spot to be in but Kap G brings his best feature yet to this song and one of his best verses overall. Kap goes for a slightly more detailed and anecdotal approach than Maj and Wiz, giving us glimpses into his success with stories like "She don't like me, she just wanna fuck me for a green card." and "Christian Dior, make her real moist" He is almost giving us a disclaimer to success. If Maj brought the bigger picture, Wiz took you around the world with it, Kap is breaking it down situationally.
The entire song plays cohesively. No one is off topic and all of the artists brought a slightly nuanced take on a topic that is too often phoned in and predictable. The hook is too catchy to leave out and don't be surprised if you end up singing, "Can I get a witness?!", to yourself a couple dozen times a day. Just do yourself a favor, go listen to "Chico" and enjoy the summer time celebration early. Amen, Amen. Hallelujah, Hallelujah.
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