Music Existence Because of Music, We Exist
Making rap that stands out in the crowded and competitive market that the genre’s biggest scenes have been enjoying the last decade is no easy task no matter how talented the artist, but in The Real Meladee’s “Birkin,” the Miami-based rapper, producer, and songwriter makes it look incredibly simple. Following a lot of closely guarded buzz coming out of the underground in 2023, Meladee has truly come into her own as both a composer and a linguist here, and she demonstrates everything that she’s learned in the months that have passed since her debut single was released here.
The vocal track is the centerpiece of “Birkin,” and though the rhythm is studded with a synthesized trap groove that is as intoxicating as anything from behind the bar at your local nightclub is, it’s but a drop in the bucket compared to the evocative nature of the lyrics that it acts as a foundation for. Meladee’s voice slides between the ridges in the percussion and paints us a supple but stern picture of confidence and uncontrollable desire, and there’s scarcely a moment in which we’re able to grasp just how young in the game she is right now.
Swaggering is the first word that comes to mind when trying to describe these beats that frame the focused vocal in the master mix, but that swagger never devolves into pure arrogance in the course of the song’s short running time.
There’s a lot of expressive textures in “Birkin,” starting most prominently with the vocal and the bassline and trickling into the drums, particularly when they’re at their most muted in the transition from the first chorus into the next stanza. This could be the most multifaceted piece of music that Meladee has debuted under this moniker, but it isn’t an exercise in eccentricities by any stretch of your imagination.
Meladee connects with the bass in “Birkin” in such a seamless delivery that I’m half tempted to play the whole track over again when it’s over just to appreciate the physicality of the pseudo harmony they’re forming. In many ways, I think that this track was designed to exhibit her duality as a rapper, but moreover, her ability to tackle virtually any melody that producers could throw her way without ever flinching in the booth. For what I look for in a slick rap single, she hits it out of the park in this song, and I think that the genre’s most dedicated students are likely to agree with me.
If you’ve somehow never heard the music of The Real Meladee before now, I’d highly recommend checking out her latest track on the next occasion that you’re shopping for new tunes this October. There’s no one on this side of the Miami underground working with nearly as refined a skillset as hers is, and although she’s still got her trademark rough edges – which wholeheartedly separate her from her closest rivals in the best way possible – I’ve got a gut feeling that this could be the single to put her name in the primetime spotlight after years of putting in her dues within the indie world.
Alisa Garza
