Recently I was asked what The Netherlands were known for abroad. We were talking about food and I couldn’t think of any meals or particular cooking style. The best I could think of was probably our Stroopwafel, a cookie of two thin waffle slices sandwiching a layer of syrup and butter, that I even managed to find in the eastern parts of the United States. Other than that I’m afraid we are mainly known for our free thinking; Soft drugs is legal and, for many years, sex was sold openly (something most big cities have reduced since). And next, we are probably most known for our cycling.
Bicycles are everywhere in The Netherlands. In fact, there are more bikes (22M) than there people (17M). So I figured this makes me the perfect Kurrent Music blogger to blog about the new Frank Ocean track, “Biking”. It features Jay Z and Tyler, The Creator.
The track starts with Jay Z’s verse. His typical style of rapping, when he features on something, always sounds like he’s just shouting a few phrases and words. This is no different. Even though, on this track, it was the first time I even got the impression he’s seriously freestyling and you can somewhat hear him think between phrases, searching for something new to shout. Uh. It’s just not his best work. Uh. Just very random. Uh. And ending a lot of sentences with “Uh”. Uh!
Luckily, Frank Ocean comes in to save his own track. With a combination of rap and singing, he brings in order, structure, a smooth sound, and full sentences, a bit of a story and lyrics. Simply a welcomed change. Even within his own bit, he lets three different styles of rapping pass you by. Literally taking you for a jazzy bike ride.
Tyler, The Creator creates a fourth style within his feature. He gives this track a little bit of energy and flow and his change makes this track interesting enough for a non-hip hop fan to still be interested in finishing listening to the full track. Though ok, I have to admit, I did need the lyrics video version of this track to make some sense of what they are all saying, with the exception of Jay Z’s part. So, even though I’m one of the many bikers in The Netherlands, this is not the song I’ll do it to.
