The Singles Jukebox

Lens flare!

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[6.11]

Jonathan Bradley: In which Houston reclaims screw from ASAP Rocky, and Clutch City native Kirko Bangz reinvents it as R&B. Houston rap has had its melodic moments before — most prominently courtesy of Big Moe — but Bangz’s tunefulness arrives funneled through the South’s brigade of young sing-rappers like Future and Roscoe Dash. The combination is an engaging one: lazily disorienting, as the musical products of promethazine are wont to be, but with a playful, candy-like pop sweetness. (I suppose that’s analogous to the Jolly Ranchers in the bottom of the cup?) For such a derided form, LCD rap has proven as creatively fertile as any other. I could bear more of this. 
[7]

Brad Shoup: Take “I got this drank in my cup” as the only true statement, something mumbled as our man nods off on his couch, and you got something. Though his punsake never deployed them in the same manner, Sound M.O.B.’s guitars gleam entrancingly: this shit is legitimately trippy. Kirko’s a jag, and he’s clearly renting space in Drake’s office park, but just wait for the cheerful promises of that stairstep chorus, and then watch them chased away as our man blinks back into his styrofoam-and-syrup existence.
[7]

Jonathan Bogart: It’s got to be really tempting to imitate Drake, what with the immense success and all, but probably the worst way to go about doing it is to imitate his nasal monotone.
[4]

John Seroff: What does it say about Drake that the first song I’ve heard from his admitted Texas doppelgänger is more interesting than anything Canada Dry has released as a single? Probably that the formula doesn’t appeal to me and that the reasonable inventiveness of language and repetition on display in “Drank in My Cup” sets it far ahead enough of the pack that I’m prepared to mostly forgive the uninspired production. Kirko Bangz (is that a Nirvana reference?) maintains a zippy monotone, which is a neat trick; if he turns out to be a purped-out Trey Songz, I could definitely see not avoiding him.  I am still reserving the right to dislike this guy in the future if necessary.
[6]

Alex Ostroff: First things first: Kirko Bangz. Of all the ridiculous rap homages to Nirvana, his moniker is easily my favourite. Next: those endless flowering synths, bass constantly blooming steadily, no matter how much Kirko’s pace picks up. Finally: “Drake’d up/Tripped out/Your bitch know what I’m talkin’ ’bout” would be a hilariously self-aware boast, but reputable sources indicate it’s “draped up/dripped out”, which is probably for the best, since Kirko is nowhere near as big of a tool as my fellow countryman. At first blush the verses are disgusting “I-bagged-your-girlfriend” braggadocio, but there’s something more going on here. She only wants Kirko ’cause he “ain’t tryin’ to control her.” That winding pre-chorus (“Girl, I know how much…”) is totally hypnotizing, and (at least to my ears) there’s no “nice guy” slut-shaming here. She’s not neglected; she’s tired of being kept, loved, trapped by all of those feelings and expectations. She just wants a good lay — and so does he. It’s an inverted take on Wiz’s “Roll Up“, and one that’s just as good.
[8]

Anthony Easton: I like the electronic twinkles, and the sound effects of liquid being poured, and the line “same song, same hook/on the phone with the same crook.” The rest of it I can take or leave, but some good sounds and an excellent line are worth more than most of this work.
[6]

Michaela Drapes: Oh dear, my H-town homeboy here certainly has an eye for a slinky beat and hot cars and fine ladies and expensive ink, but couldn’t he have chosen a better call sign? But even that is surely not as tasteless as some of his lyrical choices, which pretty much lack the suaveness and subtlety that this kind of panty-peeler requires. But perhaps that’s the point?
[4]

Pete Baran: I genuinely did not know what tempo this track was in for about a minute, and to be fair what is going on with the rhythm track is far and away the most arresting thing here. Which is just as well as when, third time round, I gave the lyrics any attention they were a bit puerile. Still it did get that third play.
[6]

Andy Hutchins: Taking Drake’s So Far Gone formula out to a logical endpoint and singing it better than Drake can works out.
[7]