Music Existence Because of Music, We Exist
Within the tight grasp of an angry bassline, The Real Meladee’s voice fiercely penetrates the pristine instrumental backdrop of her new single “Rocket Man,” a track that is quickly becoming one of the most discussed among Miami-based releases this season. Meladee will stop at nothing in her quest to make us feel every ounce of the attitude occupying her mind in this song, and while the beats are inarguably a spellbinding element in this track, they’re hardly the only reason to give this single a close look this season, regardless of your familiarity with the artist’s work.
The trap influences in Meladee’s sound are only subtly referenced in “Rocket Man,” but they play enough of a role in the construction of the song’s core aesthetic that they’re highly noticeable to both the expert music critic and the untrained ear alike. The vocal is riddled with a solid sense of angst contrasted with cockiness which adds to the texture of the lyrics tremendously. The bass is as big and bad as they come, but it’s not so cool as to reject a little old school drill flavor in its strut. Meladee has a lot of different elements working in synchronicity here, but it never feels like she’s dealing with an overly ambitious setup.
Percussion is always a key component in getting people moving, and “Rocket Man” isn’t devoid of a devastatingly bold beat, driven by nothing short of a blustery, well-defined drum pattern. The grooves are large and in charge, but they don’t steal the attention away from the vocal track at all. The mix is careful to share the spotlight amongst all of the individual parts in the song, and even when there’s one element grabbing you over another, it’s never long before it’s joined by a litany of other textures originating from other places in the track.
There’s little adrenaline in this single – if any at all – but I wouldn’t say that the rhythm of the song is the least bit pendulous. The grooves are lively and rich with organic vitality, but from start to finish, Meladee’s relaxed attitude influences the pace of the music more than anything else does. Her verses are spot-on as far as timing goes, but there’s not a doubt in my mind that this is her most confident and sleekly arranged material so far.
It’s been under a year since The Real Melade’s work first appeared on my desk, and she’s not showing any signs of slowing down at all in her most recent release, which should be considered one of her best yet. There’s not a lot demanded of us in “Rocket Man” other than our attention, and in exchange for this Meladee rewards her audience with a fiery hip-hop experience that is far and away more engaging than virtually anything that her mainstream counterparts and closest rivals in the Miami scene are producing at the moment. She’s still got a ways to go before she can break out of the underground, but this is a step in the right direction.
Jordan Raab
