Few Good Things wants to make you feel better. As if he’s a novelist, he’s in tune with the details that comprise his story.“Plus what good is that flight? You ain’t flyin’ out your entire house.” Littered throughout the album is guilt tailgating the flicker embers of joy. His success is material, cash changing hands so much that, “They are days I don’t know who I pay,” but is that all? New cars, houses, so carefree that the inconvenience of losing his controller is a flex. But his wealth has limits. Limits that didn’t make any sense then and still don’t now. The death of his cousin and fellow Pivot Gang Co-Founder Walter still lingers. “I’m the one that paid my sister tuition, I should probably go to the meetings/ My grandpa smilin’ with no teeth in, my cousin still supposed to be h-“

Trusting the healing process is risky because hemming your wounds in the background is risky. But it’s impossible to move forward without probing the area that hurts the most. You could hear Saba going back to his abrasions, checking on their progress, like how a child toys with the scab as if it’s a Bop-It. It’s taking too damn long to go back to normal, knowing normal is never returning.

Saba doesn’t just play narrator here, but also as an illustrator. With fellow pivot GANG producers Daoud and daedaePIVOT, Saba has his hands in creating the mixture of the jaunty and worn-in soundscape that defines the album. The production feels worn in as if you’re listening to your favorite vinyl for the 37th time. It sounds familiar, but the type of familiarity of hearing a voice soothes the angst. The drums are mellow, lacking knock-out power but makes up for it with velvety strings and well-used skits that pace the album well and give it personality.

Saba’s delivery is rapid yet gentle and melodic, having so much to say to us, the fans, and himself. With jazzy beats being the canvas, he feels made for this state of serenity. It is easing the ongoing conflict of feeling bad for feeling better, never straying too far into berating his progress but raising valid concerns that invoke growth.

While he shines on tracks like ’Survivors Guilt’ (The best line of the album is “I’m trainin’ for mayhem, but y’all on more triangle/’Cause I saw silly [iscoles] niggas done change up.” and ’Stop that,’ he’s at his best in the registry between melodic and soft. His off-kilter cadence and subtle inflections go well together. He is tugging on your ear between layered production, permitting you to lose yourself in his words, in his palisades of pain and joy, as the foundation for your reverie.

The dream state is available for anyone to access, with features being one of the few things that are not limited by quantity. The styles are vast; from beat drifters like G-Herbo to the eccentric yet soulful rasp of Krazy Bone to the ever consistent 6lack, each song satisfies a particular palette. From the likes of Smino, Mereba, Fousheè, and more, each feature reinforces that he is not alone in his hope for a brighter tomorrow. Redemption is a day-to-day process, and his friends will always be there to support him.

Few Good Things sought to separate Saba from trauma, be an amulet for the days ahead, and cherish those days when they arrived. But grief is a magus, soiling memories to terrorize its host. Even moments of celebration are followed by a reminder that our wins aren’t optimal, that it could be “better,” whatever that is. “Your boy in LA in a fancy house and my car don’t got a key/Some people I wanted to be proud of me/Ain’t walkin’ this earth and that shatters me.” But towards the end, the message is clear to Saba. He’s in a better place, a healthier state of mind. He turned “a bunch of nothing” into a few good things, achievements to be proud of. There’s no doubt in his mind that he won’t pull himself out of this rut. But for now, the sun is hiding behind the horizon, with its glimmers of inner peace illuminating the path.

Written by Stevenson Altidor

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I rolled in as Pivot Gang’s Joseph Chilliams was on stage. Despite the fact that it was just before 9:00pm the crowd was surprisingly well filled-in and energetic. Chilliams’ stage presence was unique to say the least. His demeanor was something between a friendly stoner and a stand-up comic. His humor was easily his brightest talent; whether it was transitioning between tunes or dropping laugh out loud inducing bars like ‘FN-2187’s, “Real niggas never pull out/shout out my dad.” I can’t help but mention he also dropped a tune dedicated to Fergie. Needless to say he definitely scooped up a few new fans.

Sylvan appeared on stage shortly after Chilliams, rocking a Wise-up tee, a hoody and a jean jacket. The low-key style was a cool contrast to his commanding energy as he kicked things off with the high energy ‘Automatic’. The intensity swept over the crowd and had hands waving with ferocity. Sylvan closed the track off a Capella, a tactic he deplored several times throughout. The lack of backing served to showcase his flow, punctuate specific lyrics and add a more organic 1-on-1 feel. After his first track Sylvan let fans know his DJ actually couldn’t make it into Canada so he had his photographer filling in. Despite that fact the show still moved quite smooth and Sylvan was able to adlib through any extra loops or slightly behind fades. The set centered around his most recent releases with tracks like ‘Heavenly,’ ‘The Truman Show’ and ‘Grateful’. He closed the set off with his inspirational anthem ‘Best Me’ to immense fan fare. The track closed out beautifully with fans finishing the hook one last time.

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After Sylvan’s stellar set, DJ Dam Dam jumped on the decks to keep the energy up and get the crowd hyped for SABA. He played it up to the hometown crowd with Jazz Cartier’s ‘Dead Or Alive’ before taking fans to Chicago with everything from Chief Keef to Kanye.

SABA came out smooth cruisin’ onto the stage with the swaggy ‘Stoney’. He took a quick break to celebrate the tour’s independent status and the fact that majority of the tracks he was performing were cut in his grandma’s basement. He then took time to slow things down and sing a back and forth ballad with the crowd. When Chance The Rappers ‘Angels’ came on the crowd erupted. Possibly the most memorable portion of the night came when he brought back Sylvan LaCue for ‘Best Me’ remix. SABA started calm with the mic on its stand and little movement. As his verse intensified as did his energy; ripping the mic off the stand and belting out the final bars. Sylvan kept it low-key while SABA rocked the stage but exploded as soon it was time for his verse. The chemistry on stage was incredible and had fans wishing they had more collabs on deck.

Following it up SABA took it back to a few ComfortZone cuts for the OG fans. This portion allowed SABA’s keyboardist/drummer some shine with tight solo breaks. From there things took a serious turn. Feeling one with the crowd, SABA allowed himself to get personal. Informing fans that just after finding out he booked his first headlining tour, his cousin John Walt was tragically murdered. He incited a chant to pay his respects before performing the fittingly poignant ‘Church / Liquor Store’. With the night coming to a close, SABA shut things down with ‘MOST’ and ‘Westside Bound 3’. The latter had Joseph Chilliams return to the stage to drop his guest verse. SABA hadn’t even left the stage before the encore chants began. Proving to be a true crowd-pleaser he easily obliged.

The Bucket List tour was everything you hope for in a hip-hop show. It hit you with myriad of emotions from straight laughter to turnt intensity. It left you feeling reflective and inspired and at times even touched. The show proved that SABA & Sylvan LaCue are the future of hip-hop.

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