Sons Of Yusuf & Jay Electronica – “Diving For Pearls”

Sons Of Yusuf & Jay Electronica – “Diving For Pearls”

All these years later, Jay Electronica remains an elusive character. Yes, there is still no album — he once called them a “false concept” — but every now and then he appears someplace unexpectedly, and it’s usually reason for excitement. (He did, after all, make one of the best songs of the last 10 years.) Most recently, he teamed up with Dave East and 070 Phi for “No Hoodie (Nothin’ To Lose)” just last month. And now, somewhat surprisingly, he is already back.

This time around, Jay Elec guests on a new track from Sons Of Yusuf, the Arabic hip-hop group with origins in LA and Kuwait. They’re gearing up to release their debut album Shayk The World, and they’ve already shared a couple tracks from it in recent times — including “No Caliphates,” which features Talib Kweli. Today, they’ve unveiled “Diving For Pearls.”

Sons Of Yusuf produce hip-hop with elements of Arabic music, and “Diving For Pearls” is no different. Starting with a pretty straightforward beat — there’s a high-pitched whine that speaks to their dual homelands, conjuring up California — the duo adds little touches that make “Diving For Pearls” subtly more interesting, a loping sunburnt bass and a distant clattering rhythm dancing around the song. They use their Jay Electronica feature well: After trading verses, the duo cede the spotlight and let Jay take over the end of the track. Check it out below.

Shayk The World is out 2/7 via Astrolabe.

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