Single of the year.
[Video][Website]
[2.90]
David Sheffieck: Even without the contrast to the self-promotion of the verses, “Might as well fuck me/ Why not?” is easily the weirdest pickup line I’ve heard recently. It’s not just hard to imagine it working, it’s hard to imagine the thinking that it’d work.
[4]
Hazel Robinson: Son, just don’t.
[4]
Micha Cavaseno: Since its emergence as a subunit of rap in the last few years, Ratchet has given us what Jerk, Snap, Crunk, Hyphy, Trap and others failed to: a massive movement of R&B acts. From TY$’ post-Weeknd scumbag piracy, TeeFlii’s slurry self-development, and a cast of characters that include John Hart, Eric Bellinger, Adrian Marcel and others; we now have a whole sub-movement of young talent. Noteworthy for his recent efforts is Rayven Justice, a bay area youth who looks like Frank Ocean gone varsity jock, and abandons traditional R&B song structure for an auto-tune guided rap freestyle technique. “Might As Well” sounds like a toxic sludge dissolving a glass factory from the inside, with Rayven’s voice cyber-piped into the listener’s ears while the brittle beat dissolves besides him, gas bubbles leaking out ghosts of Nelly’s “Dilemma” in morbid wails. He’s a rude bastard, but his desire to inform me of a certain someone’s cold mouth, and the relentless laser intensity of his hook scouring the life from the land suggest more than a hot summer in the Bay for this kid.
[8]
Alfred Soto: Shut the fuck up, bitch, and get down to bizness. Check out my cool electrostutters. Excited yet?
[0]
Crystal Leww: I love rnbass music, the sub-genre of R&B that has blanketed contemporary rap radio this year after being popularized by DJ Mustard. While the icy minimalism of its beats sounds fresh, it also exposes its vocalists, putting the responsibility squarely on their shoulders to sound charming rather than being swallowed by the repetitive pings of the production. This works well for artists like Tinashe and Jeremih, and less so for the Trey Songz of the world. Rayven Justice is somewhere in the middle. He can be compelling like on “Slide Thru,” but despite the best attempts of J Maine and his Young California beat and production, Rayven Justice sounds lazy, just like his game. Probably shouldn’t have asked “Why not?” in your hook, bro because “might as well fuck me” is like the fifth worst way a guy has come onto me.
[4]
Ashley Ellerson: A Chris Brown wannabe who offends you AND still expects you to give up the goods? Only for the desperate.
[1]
Edward Okulicz: The grossness of this would be justified if it came through with any degree of carnality, like the fucking might be as good for the girl Rayven’s negging as it is for him. But it’s pretty clear who the favour’s for, this is basically a song about begging for pity sex. “Pity,” like the word “city,” also fits in as a rhyme for “titties.” Missed opportunity there.
[3]
Brad Shoup: Two things happening here. First, the “hell yeah” grunts — substituted for Mustard’s “hey”s, clearly — sound like the bass in a doo-wop group. Second, even though this thing is a total clone, it sounds a little faster than its antecedents. Phrases are swapped out before the punchlines get a chance to die.
[4]
Thomas Inskeep: It’s like the guys in this video made a rap record, only there’s no inadvertent humor. This is without question the grossest record we’ve reviewed this year. What do people – especially women – see in this shit? (Also, take away the mind-boggling lyrics and it’s still only about a 2, because this track is some dull DJ Mustard-carbon-copy bullshit.)
[0]