Game and Jay Electronica are an odd coupling, an odd coupling indeed. Then throw in Mr. Alicia Keys and Bob Marley and you have a royal music smorgasbord for the single “Higher.” Every once in a while these crazy combos work and deliver an enjoyable, yet strange product that revels in its ability to dodge labeling. Is that what happened here?
No.
What we have here is something that sounds like the work you do at the end of your shift. You know, that part of the day when 10% of you is devoted to the task at hand while the other 90% of you is devoted to watching the clock. Nothing on this song sounds bad, but it sounds like they were feeling this jam as much as I am.
The track is a repetitive loop from Bob Marley’s classic “Iron Lion Zion,” with a nod to Marley at the front I’m assuming so you can identify where Swizz pulled it from. He adds some thump, a drum roll, plays with the scale and smears his patented gruff growl over the chorus. By the way, that vocal sample that joins Swizz’s yelping says “iron” not “higher,” but I guess that was inconsequential to all involved. It needs mastering too. The Game and Jay sound like they are rapping into a tape recorder.
The Game’s verse is pretty simple. I’m here. I have a car, a gun and an entourage.. oh and I’m dope.
Jay’s verse is also simple. A twitter shout to Diddy, some horribly overused Drake punch line construction and a really original comparison between the rap game and the dope game. Sigh.
Then more screamed demands from Swizz to get iron, I mean “Higher.” I wonder how many people will be fooled by that.
I’d say more, but honestly, there isn’t much more you can really say about this song. It’s paint by numbers and a bit numbing. Planet Ill will save this post though because that’s what we do. After the Game joint you can check the original. It’s not Marley’s best by far, but it does beat Game’s version.
Game feat Jay Electronica and Swizz Beatz – “Higher”
Game Ft. Jay Electronica & Swizz Beatz – Higher (Untagged)
Bob Marley – “Iron Lion Zion”
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