It’s kind of nice seeing an announcement for a new song from an artist with “West” in their name and not having to dig through miles of immense political baggage and hear the term “free thought” 100 times over.
Low blow? Maybe.
But seriously, in the midst of this tense musical climate where a pioneer of contemporary hip hop sounds is under scrutiny, it’s nice to be reminded that there are still artists out there who are just making good music without the clamor. Delaware’s Lil West continues to do just that with new track O.K., opting for a stripped back, simple track that demonstrates another facet of a diverse artist. Instead of the dense production of previous standout tracks like “Gum in My Hair,” where a large range of musical stylings is explored, “O.K.” is backed by a single soothing synth track produced by Distance Decay. West’s trademark modulated vocals rap and croon in the first verse and the refrain, with support in the second verse by returning collaborator nothing,nowhere.
Lyrically it’s exactly what one would expect from a LW x n,n. track, dealing with uncertainty and issues within a relationship, but the contrasting vocal deliveries and minimalist-yet-layered production keeps it fresh. In accordance with the song’s style, its standout line is also its simplest, being the refrain’s “tell me that it’s okay, you can let your guard down.”
Lil West’s uniqueness and diversity is leading the underground by example, and for good reason. This is just another one of many tracks in his discography that prove this, take a listen to the track above.