Atlantan mate of Giggs (the rapper) finds success a bit easier to come by at home…
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[6.14]
Briony Edwards: The lyrics remind me slightly, in style, of R. Kelly’s lyrical commentary in Trapped In The Closet — slightly self-conscious, occasionally bordering on nonsensical — however, musically, this song is a true delight. Sugary synths and keyboards loop through the track, helped along by a galloping yet smooth bassline, and is similar in dreamy essence to the sound of late 90s Oakenfold. Furthermore, it’s refreshingly free of ego, and seems to be a genuine lament to how awesome he thinks his girlfriend is. Lovely.
[8]
Rodney J. Greene: When the annals of punk smoove shit are written, history will not look kindly upon this era when rappers foolishly forswore candied R&B hooks in favor of soft-rock gruel.
[4]
Al Shipley: Even though I’ve heard plenty of songs by B.o.B. (or, ugh, “Bobby Ray”), and I knew he supposedly had a hit these days, I heard this several times before I had the slightest idea who it was by or even wondered if it was him. And while there’s something kind of underwhelming about him taking the Lupe Fiasco route to chart success (with a Maroon 5-sounding hook that pop radio’s all over like flies on shit), it beats the hell out of the Andre 2000-and-late schtick he’d been working before.
[5]
John Seroff: B.O.B. catches a lot of shit for being Dre3K derivative, which I don’t mind so much but when he brings so little to the table it’s hard not to bristle a bit. Slightly speeding up Lupe’s ‘Superstar’ does not improve it. My Nintendo 64 never froze up on me. Your girlfriend paying her taxes is the worst argument for 5-Star status I’ve ever heard. Dude really needs to justify his existence more effectively than this.
[5]
Renato Pagnani: B.o.B’s been capable of something like this all along, but here it feels like everything has clicked into place, and the result is a shimmery slice of pop rap. Think “Best I Ever Had” with better rapping, or any of Lupe Fiasco’s singles, but with a rapper who actually has something resembling a personality, and someone singing his choruses who isn’t Matthew fucking Santos. B.o.B is charming and genuine, switching in and out of agile, rubbery flows and a pleasing singing voice on a whim’s notice, and there’s a loose, spontaneous feel to his performance, which contrasts the smooth, radio-ready chorus that’s already on its way to becoming inescapable. The song’s you’re-the-only-girl-for-me trope is well-trodden territory, but B.o.B’s he actually sounds like he means it — and the way he can barely contain his excitement when he raps “and you wild when you ain’t got nothin’ on!” is one of the purest joys in rap so far in 2010.
[7]
Martin Skidmore: I assume Bruno is the R&B vocalist very pleasantly singing the sweetly catchy hook. B.o.B. himself has some perky bounce in his flow, though it does sound extraordinarily old-fashioned, very ’80s even, and not very Southern at all. I actually really like this, but it’s down to Bruno’s contribution far more than B.o.B.’s.
[8]
Alfred Soto: Cute in that early nineties Tevin Campbell-Another Bad Creation way: as long as the parties involved open their mouths to sing instead of rap they’re safe. Which is to say: why couldn’t T.I. have sponsored Bruno Mars too?
[6]