Travel has always been a central theme in Bas‘ music. Whether he’s up in the air on tracks like “Charles De Gaulle to JFK” or “Clouds Never Get Old,” or he’s taking a trip to the Milky Way on his third album, the Sudanese-American rapper is always up for taking his show on the road, literally.
Born in Paris, where he spent part of his childhood before moving to Queens at the age of eight, it’s natural that Bas isn’t bound by national borders. The five years between his last release and his latest album, We Only Talk About Real Shit When We’re Fucked Up, has allowed him to collect more passport stamps – the album includes collaborations with artists from France, Denmark, Germany, Ghana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Nigeria, and the UK.
AD LOADING...
The journey begins closer to home, though. On album opener “Light of My Soul,” Bas sounds like he’s been going through some things: “I got a problem makin’ other people’s problems my own … Lucky I’m built with shoulders big enough to carry the load,” he spits over a haunting Motown sample that sounds like a ghost from his past, as well as Boi-1da‘s hard-hitting drums.
Next up is a three-track suite that could so easily fit on any recent Dreamville release. “Home Alone” is the highlight of the batch and is another milestone in J. Cole‘s Year of the Feature, as the Dreamville head honcho steals the show with detailed storytelling and a hypnotic, detached flow. Bas lands a few punches of his own with rhymes like: “It ain’t all Black and white like a Kurosawa/ Got the money and fame, but we took the power/ Spent it all, made it back, blew a million dollars,” but it’s hard for him to get from under his mentor’s shadow on this occasion.
AD LOADING...
“Risk” is when things begin to open up. Released in 2019, the track finds Bas poetically lamenting a lost love: “I can recall when your lips/ Used to contort into smiles/ Bright as the sun that’s drawn an eclipse.” French producer FKJ supplies a subdued beat full of blips and chirps for Bas to flex his improved singing voice, which won’t blow anyone away but sits well within the slice of bright production.
Tracks like “Ho Chi Minh” and the Amaarae-aissisted “Decent” continue Bas’ previous flirtation with afrobeats. The former features some of the best straightforward rapping on the project, as Bas utilizes a visceral metaphor to paint a picture of drug-induced isolation – “‘Cause they love me, I’m Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam/ Look, I’m in control, napalm in my soul/ I bomb let it burn, how long ’til my turn come?”
AD LOADING...
The apotheosis of Bas’ global outlook comes on “179 Deli” featuring UK rapper AJ Tracey. Supported by Lydia Kitto‘s breathy background vocals, Bas confidently employs an infectious double-time flow over a skittish UK garage-influenced instrumental. His lyrics rarely delve beyond serviceable one-liners and surface-level observations, but his breathless flow and rhythmic sense pair well with the murky, rain-slicked beat.
While Bas’ determination to switch up his sound is admirable, it’s not always successful. “Passport Bros” is a catchy but generic ‘I can take you there’ song on which Cole and Bas sound very blasé about their debauchery. Then diving head first into amapiano on “Testify” and “U-Turn,” neither track gathers enough steam to power through Bas’ sleepy singing and insipid lyrics.
As the title implies, We Only Talk About Real Shit When We’re Fucked Up draws a direct line between loosening up and opening up – Bas stares directly and honestly at the reflection in the bottom of a glass of Clase Azul. “If love is all you need then let me spend my pain,” he spits on the reflective “Diamonds.” But aside from flashes of retrospection and insight, the album rarely delves too deep into the “real shit.”
The penultimate track, “Khartoum,” is when Bas comes closest to expounding upon the load he hinted at carrying on the opening number. Tackling Sudan’s 2023 civil war, Bas makes a national tragedy personal, rapping: “Five days trackin’ through the desert, cuzzo swore his misery/ Auntie made it three days ‘fore she passed, he spoke it through his tears to me.”
AD LOADING...
With a label as stacked as Dreamville, it can be hard to stand out, considering the sizable footprint of Cole and the recent ascension of JID, EarthGang and Ari Lennox. Bas is the label’s second official signee, though his name is often brought up after the roster’s newer talent. While We Only Talk About Real Shit When We’re Fucked Up might not change this equation completely, Bas has crafted an enjoyable set of genre-spanning tunes that run the gamut between turning up and looking inward.
RELEASE DATE: December 15, 2023
RECORD LABEL: Dreamville/Interscope
Listen to We Only Talk About Real Shit When We’re Fucked Up below:
