Anderson .Paak and Cordae, known as “Dae.Paak,” finally put together their first collab album with “Heavy Is The Crown.”
The album, at just over half an hour in runtime, is extremely entertaining and concise. Its cover art parodies the movie poster for “Step Brothers,” hinting at the fun approach they take on the first half of the album and the retrospection on the latter half. The references to the film also signify the striking chemistry between the artists as they work to cement themselves as the next great duo in hip-hop.
The first part of the intro track “58th Floor” is structured as a phone call between Paak and Cordae, possibly interpolating both “Warning” and “Suicidal Thoughts” by The Notorious B.I.G., which both have an analogous structure. In the song, Paak opts to exit a woman’s apartment through the window after her child’s father comes home from prison, mimicking the absurd comedy from “Step Brothers.”
The second half of “58th Floor” is laid back and groovy. Cordae raps about preserving his childhood interests while also pursuing a rap career, serving as a reminder that growing up doesn’t mean people have to lose their childlike side.
Continuing with the theme of preserving one’s inner child, the second song, “Airbender,” references the popular kids TV show “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” The track is backed by high-pitched strings and a punchy drum pattern that feels infectious when matched with the fast flows from Paak and Cordae. In his verse, Paak compares Dae.Paak to the extraordinary rap duos Eminem and Dr. Dre as well as Danny Brown and JPEGMafia.
Paak and Cordae flex their skills with rapid flows and great delivery on the third track “I’m On,” but the chorus seems to let the track down. It’s repetitive and doesn’t really match the energy of the song. Their vocals are meant to overlay each other, but I can’t help but notice every time they fall out of sync. Nonetheless, “I’m On,” still has some of the best verses on the album which is why it’s a favorite among listeners.
The lead single, “A Good Day,” is truly fun. Hollywood Cole notably samples “Lovely Day” by Bill Withers and Fatman Scoop’s chants from Mariah Carey’s “It’s Like That” to assemble a head-bopping chorus. Paak’s opening line of course interpolates “It Was A Good Day” by Ice Cube.
“You’re Mine” includes a line from Common’s “I Used to Love H.E.R.” which was also famously used in Kanye West’s “Homecoming.” In all three songs, a woman is used to personify hip-hop. This trope has been recreated and progressed by many artists, but Dae.Paak’s version doesn’t seem to push the narrative very far. It follows them as they grew up and learned to love hip-hop, watching it evolve even as it traveled to different nations and birthed new subgenres.
The airy “Days Go By” builds depth through drowned-out, breathy ad-libs. It sets listeners up to be in a dream-like state as the duo retells stories from their childhood. Cordae raps about spectating violence in his neighborhood and finding forms of escapism while Paak remembers bearing a tough-guy facade to deter bullies. Two tracks later, the song “Days Like This” seems to contrast this nostalgia with a victory lap. The pair tout their immense wealth and the payoff from pursuing music as a career.
The nostalgic theme deepens with the seventh track “Crown.” Paak raps about designing his new home with luxury furniture and art while reminiscing about the days spent in his parent’s home as a child. The duo implies that their humble beginnings, hardships and families built who they are today.
“Helpless” shows Dae.Paak looking to their faith to rescue them from struggles. Cordae tries to take responsibility for his relationship ending and learns the hard way that money doesn’t buy happiness. Paak toils with a similar situation, finding that his material contributions to his family don’t make up for misbehavior and absence.
Quickly switching gears, “Godfather II” depicts Dae.Paak as mobsters in black suits with luxury watches stepping out of extravagant cars. The song touts the pair’s success and later names themselves among the greats such as Jay-Z, Kanye, Raekwon and Ghostface Killah.
“Heavy Is The Crown” reflects on the childhood memories that shaped the duo, examines the pressures of maintaining musical success and details their attempts to balance their work and personal lives. Sonically, the album is incredible. Cordae and Paak both show off their technical ability as rappers. Fans begged for this joint project for years and it lives up to the hype.
Rating: 4/5