Music Existence Because of Music, We Exist
The underground always has a unique soundtrack, and in 2023, it’s undisputedly coming from the hip-hop community – and specifically the genre’s growing alternative scene. Take Flau’jae for example; right now, the up-and-comer is emerging from the shadows of the indie circuit this October with a new single that feels like a vibe-encapsulating jam in “Karma,” her new collaboration with the equally talented and on-point 2Rare.
“Karma” gets us started with a startlingly surreal haze of melodicism before immediately dropping us into the blaze of verses that Flau’jae unfurls as though it were second nature. With her in-studio confidence at this juncture of her career, it’s clear that this rapper is onto something really special with her sound, but she isn’t overdoing it in this single at all. There’s an unrushed sensibility to her delivery here that speaks volumes about her comfortability with the medium, and even with her relaxed attitude intact, the urgency of the lyrical execution keeps us on the edge of our seats from beginning to end. That’s hard for any artist to accomplish, regardless of experience level or talent, but in “Karma,” Flau’jae and 2Rare make it sound pretty easy.
The bass in this track is heavy as a ton of bricks, but I wouldn’t call it bombastic in comparison to some of the other stuff I’ve been hearing on commercial hip-hop radio in the last couple of months leading up to the autumn season. The vocal has been interwoven with the percussion to create an almost trap-influenced stylization of the grooves, and yet nothing here ever sounds or feels over-varnished for even a second.
To put it as simply as possible, the production quality that “Karma” enjoys is a cut above what I was anticipating I would hear in this new release from Flau’jae, but it isn’t what makes the song a mainstream equitable hit from a critical point of view. It’s essentially what makes it fit in with the top shelf without turning itself over to the same corporate tethering that a lot of other hot tracks would be right now. That’s special on its own, even without the visual companion in the video as well as the sturdy contributions from 2Rare around every corner.
To say that there is a lot of good hip-hop out on record store shelves this month might be too great an understatement for me to make as a journalist, but even with that being the case, Flau’jae’s “Karma” is a definite standout. I’d like to hear some more collaborations with 2Rare in the future, but even if this is an isolated instance of their working together, I hope it doesn’t mark the last occasion Flau’jae brings in another brilliant mind to work with her in the studio. Experimenting with other artists, as she did in this release, can lead to the discovery of talents that a player wouldn’t have known they had otherwise, and that’s partly why “Karma” is an integral measurement of where its performer is at right now in her career. She has my full support moving forward, and soon enough, I think she’ll have yours.
Christopher Eaton
