On day 17 of our Round-Up, Eli presents his favorite track of the year!
“Rascal”: RMR
Production: RMR’s ‘homeboy’
Album: Single
"Now I'm flexin' in a Wraith/They hatin' on me too"
Another year and another reminder that music remains good and creative. 2020 has been a weird year, and embracing the weird has led to some unprecedented ideas. My criteria for music remains listenability and depth, but now mixed with a greater appreciation for the truly unique. “Rascal” is not the first Yeehaw/Hip Hop viral sensation, but perhaps the most ambitious.
Watching the music video it’s clear that RMR’s intent was always to double down, blurring the lines between meme and social commentary. Country music has spent long periods being forgotten, its formula of religious monogamy and Americanese now out of fashion. The melancholy of country, however, is universal, and when layered with trap aesthetics, becomes more potent than ever. And what has 2020 been if not one big digital cry-a-long 🤠.