If not “Team,” how about “Crew”?
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[5.25]
Adaora Ede: What an interesting snippet of the fusion-y velvetwave coming out of the DMV area! If you’re one of those people tired of mumbly apathy flow, Shy Glizzy brings the most interest to this song, sounding like he’s about to pop out an Offset-approved ad-lib at any moment. If you don’t exactly have any predisposed qualms with that sort of thing, Goldlink slithers all over that beat without a trace. Literally. At times, Glizzy’s delivery serves crunk, but Goldlink fails to throw technique in to make his own song, well, his own. Faiyaz’s vocals are silky to the point where it’s a little jarring to the production, as even for someone who is unfamiliar with him, his hook doesn’t come off as a modern creation, but more like a tricky ’90s interpolation. The chorus shouts sampled and chopped ‘n’ slowed, which is a bit too flowery for the cohesion of the song. Barring the stuffiness, “Crew” is a team effort — these dudes all come together in their collective lamentation to do the damn thing to the slow groove of their separate hearts’ contents.
[6]
Micha Cavaseno: Arguably the best highlight here is Shy Glizzy cutting through the wash and drift of Goldlink’s moat haze from the edges of the Kingdom of Soundcloud Rap. Whereas Brent Faiyaz’s Miguel-lite murmur and Goldlink’s flat rattle set the mood, Young Jefe seems so overtaken with enthusiasm that he threatens to sink the ship. Its that sudden see-saw of approach that makes “Crew” stand out from the seas of similar records, a rare case of contrast.
[6]
David Sheffieck: This sounds fine enough: the beat is simple but lazily bouncy, the contrast in energy and flow between GoldLink and Shy Glizzy enjoyable, the hook by Faiyaz smooth in its harsh kissoff. But — and this may be the first time I’ve ever said this — the song’s shortness works against it. GoldLink takes until most of the way through his verse to connect in any way with the hook, long enough for me to forget that this is supposed to be a song about gold diggers, and Shy Glizzy surrounds his own with enough landmarks that he might be fucking on an unfolded road map. The result is a brief song about a tired subject that feels surprisingly incoherent, as if none of the artists quite realized they were on the same track. Sticking a hook between the verses could’ve helped; a better beat might’ve disguised the issue; verses that actually said something worthwhile would’ve made for a better song entirely. Albeit a very different one than this.
[4]
Juana Giaimo: Sometimes I wonder for how long we will have to listen to hip-hop songs about men surrounded by hot women looking for the men’s money and men being too intelligent and realizing that there is no real love there. So they take advantage of women’s desire for money to use them as disposable sexual goods because these men have a super big dick and are sex gods. I’m quite sure I’ve had enough of it.
[4]
Jonathan Bradley: On “Crew,” Maryland’s Goldlink reworks the contemporary West Coast for the East. With an ersatz Frank Ocean hook and a flow marked by Black Hippy phrasings, this is both a respectable take on the style and an indicator of where hip-hop’s creative energies lie in 2017. The production, hazy and frayed, is more idiosyncratic.
[5]
Ryo Miyauchi: The two rappers here could use a more energetic beat to liven up their outing. The boom bap keeps GoldLink’s freewheeling flow locked too tightly. The bells floats too much in a lull to give Shy Glizzy’s high-pitched yelp the bounce it needs. The one who feels right at home is Brent Faiyaz, a man who’s trying to call out her bluff. He sings about fake love with a wear fit for a beat that sounds like another aimless weekend at the club.
[5]
Iain Mew: Framed unusually by Brent Faiyaz’s hook at either end, it feels like we’re getting a glimpse at something that’s just keeping on rolling, rather than a complete piece. That’s a mixed blessing that makes the impact of the verses all the more important, and the contrast between GoldLink’s hard nasal flow and the daydreamy chiming at least succeeds.
[6]
Will Adams: The symmetrical structure is unusual but intriguing; hearing Brent Faiyaz’s hook before and after GoldLink and Shy Glizzy helps to emphasize the nice pairing of their bristly voices and the soft, wind chime beat.
[6]