YES LAWD!
NxWorries is a collaborative creation by the power-duo producer Knxwledge and singer Anderson .Paak. They just released their first album, Yes Lawd! and for all those Anderson .Paak fans, you know the phrase is an ad-lib he commonly and enthusiastically interjects in several of his songs. The best way to describe the album would be “smooth funk,” although it is much more than just another funk album.
The lovesick lyrics sung by Anderson Paak and the jazzy samples mixed by Knxwledge makes for a harmonic alliance of talent. “Intro” starts us off with an unmastered sounding freestyle similar to that of the second half to Kendrick Lamar’s “Untitled 07.” Right off the bat we know this project is creative in a different sense, taking advantage of both Knxwledge and Anderson .Paak’s many talents and different backgrounds to come together and make something cool and new.
Transitioning into “Livvin,” you can hear the choir in the background, and along with a biblical reference, you automatically know it’s an allusion to the album’s name. These themes pop up often throughout the album and cleverly bring up .Paak’s religious past, especially in the song “HAN,” where he takes on the role of a preacher to dis those desperate enough to try and use him to get themselves to the top.
The playful nature of the album also lives on through interesting wordplay, from their collaborative name NxWorries, to the titles of the songs being abbreviations, references, or spelled in a similarly unique fashion to the album title. The use of the ‘x’ also ties in the album artwork with the lyrics and their titles.
The album almost seems like the two are going back to the basics, referencing old school style like fedoras and the classic 1998 movie The Players Club in the song “Best One.”
“Kutless” is easily one of my favorite tracks on the album. The lyrics and structure is not complex but that’s the point. Just jive with it in the moment and sway from side to side to the slow and sexy tune. The name is derived from the classic Oldsmobile Cutlass cars .Paak himself is a fan of and turns it into a metaphor for smoothly riding around with his girl.
The album is full of religious and social references, old school style and sexy beats that make this debut album for NxWorries a successful one. Yes Lawd! pays homage to the glory of R&B and funk music and culture. The duo puts a creative spin on tying together so many different influences but do a hell of a good job doing so. This frisky collaboration between .Paak and Kxwledge will hopefully continue on to produce more fun and sexy music in the future.
[+] NXWORRIES
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