I have a confession to make. I never really looked into IshDARR until I heard his new song, ‘Locals.’ If you haven’t given him a chance yet, stop wasting your life and turn this up now.
I think we can all agree that there are a number of different ways in which a rap song can be good, or even great. Sometimes an artist wows you with their metaphors, wordplay, or references. Sometimes an artist blows you away with raw emotion or insights about serious issues. But there are some artists who focus on lyrical structure above all else. IshDARR falls into this final category. ‘Locals’ is more than a song: it’s a lyrical sculpture. IshDARR spits a complicated rhyme scheme over a smooth beat with the kind of ease that you’d only expect from some of the most talented veterans in the hip hop industry. Perhaps the most impressive lyrical section of the song comes in the first verse: “if we caught / sorry clears my mind / the herb is OG only / keep ya pine / frosty as a goalie / keep that dry shit / doming blunts or doobies / all the time shit / we can get lost in a cloud, / mothahfuckin lost in a cloud.”
This song will get you just as lifted as the weed IshDARR’s rapping about. If you’re looking for a song about social issues of emotional experiences, ‘Locals’ isn’t it. But if you’re looking for some of the most fun, aesthetically pleasing hip hop of 2016, look no further. ‘Locals’ is weed for your ears. One might even call it earbud. Yes, I’m ending this review with a pun. If that seems wrong to you, you clearly haven’t listened to the song yet.
Words by Sam Benatovich.
