Lest we forget, though King Kendrick has returned and should rightfully occupy much of your listening this week, there are many other hip-hop artists making music right now, clawing for and deserving your attention.
Chicago producer IKON’s new single “Food For Thought” feels like a fitting, coincidental accompaniment to Kendrick’s intricate, dense announcement that hip-hop can be modern and still deeply embedded in the history of American music (specifically black American music). “Food For Thought” builds a soulful sound bed for a collection of Windy City talents: Noname Gypsy, Anthony Pavel, Malcolm London, and the consistently impressive Saba. Its jazzy, active bassline and mournful piano chords form a beautiful accompaniment to the meandering thoughts of IKON’s collaborators.
