To a Dark Boy - Wakai
Baton Rouge, Louisiana native Wakai returns with his latest project To a Dark Boy. Just shy of 33-minutes, Wakai demonstrates a picturesque lyricism, admiration for camouflage soul samples, and an earnest connection with jazz. The project is intentionally subdued. The intricate storytelling by Wakai provides a deeper understanding of his upbringing and the self-proclaimed triumphs it took for him to get where he’s at today. At times, his cadences feel like a bedtime story or even a personal spoken-word piece that took years of refinement before being pressed into the audience's ears. He has a way of using his voice as a sonic component to highlight the low frequencies that linger throughout the project.
Before the big release, he dropped two singles, “Starter Jacket” with Emmavie and “When There Was No Sun” with Mick Jenkins, which seamlessly shows his love for working with artists that compliment his sound and share the same passion for detail
His writing style is unfeigned. ”Evening Sun” embodies heartfelt confusion. Wakai describes the challenge of deciphering love vs lust; real vs fantasy. The sample vocal arrangements mesh well with the content of the song, which shows off Wakai’s seasoned ear for production and use of vocal instrumentation to assist with his storytelling.
The smothered jazz essentials and Wakai’s immersive contemporary delivery feels free form. At times, this album feels like a lo-fi version of To Pimp a Butterfly. Perfect storytelling with introspective rhyme schemes that create its own pockets. Even the production tells a story and that’s thanks to the power of samples. The album feels reminiscent of the past through the crackling sample textures.
“Smile 4 Us” is our standout track from the body of work. I’m a huge fan of the reimagined “Diana in the Autumn Wind '' sample that has been infamously used by Slum Village and other artists such as Chance the Rapper. But for this track, it’s chopped up in a refreshing way that I doubt the naked ear could pick up on it. Your ear must be seasoned, which is evident in the production Wakai decides to rap on. The soothing vocals by Kay Lashea set the tone for Wakai to get into his bag.
The use of free-form writing styles, niche soul samples, and jazz-infused components portrays a deconstructed symphony for Wakai’s collection of short stories. Production credits are held by wavworld, Kirti Pandey, Noa Jamir, Nocvhll, Versus Beats, and Wakai himself. If you’re into enriched storytelling, muffled 808s over-saturated samples, and impressive rhyme schemes, give “To a Dark Boy” a listen. Last year, Wakai released “Away Game, Vol. 2,” and this new project is a great addition to his catalog.
