That G.O.O.D. Music’s brightest rookie is still here is an achievement in and of itself. Conventional wisdom dictates that his star should have burned out by now. When Desiigner burst onto the scene with the boisterous, Future-esque “Panda,” he elbowed his way into flow appropriation conversations. The accusations have followed him since, but the issue should’ve been deaded when he conjured another internet-stealing moment from the remnants of an overrated Nick show. And thankfully, this week’s offerings, “Thank God I Got It” and “Up,” make “Panda” feel like even more of a fake out.
“Thank God I Got It” is a wild, kinetic mess. Over the course of six minutes, Desiigner spits three freewheeling verses, sings two hooks (depending on how loosely you define the term), and spins melodies and harmonies into the ether with reckless abandon. By the second verse, R&B Desiigner is loose all over the track. The lyrics are usual rap fare—insert any real or fictional boxer beating up a certain body part and you get the idea—but the delivery is ripe with potential. By the time the saxophone sample slides in, Desiigner has been sweetly singing nonsense for 30 seconds. It has enough ideas for three songs, but never lets you digest any single one.
“Up” is similarly adventurous. In the world of Desiigner, hooks are verses, verses are hooks, and adlibs are the main course. Desiigner’s first verse alone fits into 140 characters. His hook, by contrast, seems never ending. The CashMoneyAP- and Juicy J-produced track samples Three 6 Mafia’s “Tear Da Club Up,” but ironically Desiigner delivers one of his most understated performances to date. The expected adlib athleticism is present, but it’s sharper than usual. The Auto-Tune garble of “I been riding through the city/They tryna fuck my night up” undoubtedly references the night many thought Desiigner would get locked up, for felony drug and weapons charges, late last year.
“Thank God I Get It” and “Up” aren't Desiigner’s best songs. However, they do point toward an interesting path for G.O.O.D. Music’s rising star. After the less-than-enthusiastic response to Desiigner’s debut mixtape, New English, many wrote the rapper off as a one-hit wonder whose shining moment would be a glorified remix on Kanye West’s fourth best album. However, in the wake of New English, Desiigner has released five singles. Each one finds the Brooklyn rapper throwing away his traditional staccato delivery for guttural, soulful, and infectious singing.
“Tiimmy Turner,” for all intents and purposes, is one long hook. It was the R&B inverse of “Panda,” from the start of his now-infamous XXL freestyle video. Desiigner’s haunting gothic chant of “Tiimmy-Tiimmy-Tiimmy Turner” is the type of style over substance delivery that has reigned supreme in the G.O.O.D. Music camp since the release of Yeezus. Even “Outlet,” which matches the intensity of “Panda”—if not the immediate pop appeal—spends the first minute of its run time allowing Desiigner to sing the lyrics “Ooooo all the way it go.” It is a prime example of the “everything should be a hook” ethos developed by the young artist. That “Outlet” ends on the melodic outro “Ball out champion, fall out champion” is no coincidence. It’s a moment good enough to exist as its own main course. Desiigner liked it so much he used similar lyrics and delivery for the bridge of “Thank God I Got It.”
The SoundCloud loosie “Holy Ghost,” which was later released on major streaming services with “Thank God I Got It” and “Up,” continues the trend. It is by far Desiigner’s best vocal performance to date. It also helps that “Holy Ghost” isn’t beholden to anything resembling the breakout hype and ensuing online discussion of “Panda” or “Tiimmy Turner”—both created internet moments that propelled and handicapped how we discuss the legitimacy of Desiigner’s art.
The official release of “Holy Ghost," "Thank God I Got It," and “Up” seem to be Desiigner’s first stabs at creating something that works beyond the banger of the moment. They’re both album-style cuts that don’t sacrifice being catchy for his stranger creative impulses. Desiigner’s latest songs position him as the next rapper in the G.O.O.D. Music tradition of making better pop songs than your favorite rapper. Kid Cudi, Big Sean, and Travis Scott are all card carrying members of this club.
Desiigner is uniquely equipped for the digital age. His songs are vehicles for his brilliant hooks. His personality is so overwhelming you would think it was crafted in the same laboratory where William Leonard Roberts II made Rick Ross. How sustainable the Desiigner project is, though, remains to be seen. He may never reach the commercial height of “Panda” again, but artistically he has already began to transform beyond his No. 1 song, right in front of our eyes.
Thank God Desiigner got it.
