Christian Rich – “High” (Feat. Vince Staples & Bia)
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Between the water-drop synth beat and the phrasing on that first line, “High” completely reminded me of “New Slaves” — but the two mothers involved are teaching very different messages. Vince Staples is finally rapping like he deserves the things he’s boasting about, and hand-picked Pharrell protege Bia rolls through with a Lip Smackers-sweet, barbed verse that claps back at his “my mama taught me women psycho” hook. Technically, this track is credited to Christian Rich — Taiwo and Kehinde Hassan, the production duo who’ve worked with Drake, J. Cole, and Earl Sweatshirt — and their huge synth drops hold the whole thing together, a grammar for the wild-card verses from Staples and Bia. If Staples had a dance-ready song like this in his repertoire during SXSW, I think his entire set would’ve gone a different way. Listen below.