The Singles Jukebox

2016’s breakout star half convinces us he deserves it.

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Gaya Sundaram: Anderson .Paak has been working on a few good ones as of late, and this collab with Snakehips is another. Anderson’s chill tone barely conceals his agitation, even slippingwhen talking about “goddamn lemons.” I swear, I could listen to the first verse on loop just for how he stresses the damn. And I could also listen to the second verse, where Anderson’s frustration starts to “bubble over.” But a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it attempt to build tension in the bridge doesn’t quite pan out. The percussion comes back to see out the song, but it’s not enough to adequately balance the latter half of “Money on Me.”
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Leonel Manzanares de la Rosa: Ebullient electro-R&B with enough synth-shrewdness to capture your attention — and landing a beautiful wavy bridge in the process — but the real star is Anderson .Paak’s creamy, persuasive croon. How he commands this slow-but-thumping jam is evidence that he’s a force to be reckoned with. Not every day you hear a certain inflection and think: “We’re in the presence of real talent here,” and that’s why so many people won’t shut up about him.
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Claire Biddles: Maybe the reason that “Money on Me” so perfectly evokes the American summer to me is that I’m from the UK and astonishingly, so are Snakehips — a non-native capturing the novelty of a place and a time creates a familiar fiction. I’ve seen and heard this fictional summer a thousand times before, but the addition of .Paak (who should guest on every single lazy summer jam this year and every year) makes it exciting and specific. 
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Anthony Easton: The snare drums are almost as exciting as the piano slide; it deepens into something like a rattle. Even the vocals don’t provide a lot of flesh until Paak’s almost decorative tenor. Extra points for the chiptune electronic samples. 
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Alfred Soto: The artist responsible for one of 2016’s best albums brings his amiable rasp to a protean track where drums, guitar passages, and Space Invaders synths provoke him into chanting and singing. Not that I imagine this becoming a hit, despite the money.
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Juana Giaimo: Anderson .Paak’s raspy voice and confident attitude can’t seduce me. I’ll keep the money to myself. 
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