“No More” is existential musing according to Johnson IP and PsychoYP
Never throught you'd see brevity be a perk in rap.
Never throught you'd see brevity be a perk in rap.
Not many artists can successfully integrate an audio sample of someone brushing their teeth into a one minute song and not have it suck. Fewer artists can take that sample and open a song with it. But Johnson IP has just enough tact to make it work. The rapper and producer (who has been fairly busy in the last two weeks with an informal EP he calls “I Cant Sleep” features Psycho YP on his new single, “No More”, which takes elements of trap, emo rap and a heavy dose of autotune and blends them altogether into a very enjoyable interlude.
There are many hallmarks of classic Kanye West production on “No More”; from the audio sample that starts the song, the vocal manipulations (autotune/vocoders) and the use of vocal samples in lieu of percussions and instrumentation and of course, the heavy choral harmonies that West leaned heavily on for My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The lyrics however are somewhat disingenuous, referencing the West Coast and the East Side (predominantly American iconography) but Psycho YP and Johnson are convincing that it doesn’t really matter if you’re into vibes. “No More” really hits its stride when the song hits its percussive breakdown and the song transitions from aspirational Kanye West heavy hip-hop to contemporary trap heavy bass.
Ultimately, the biggest problem with “No More” is that it bows out just when things start to get really good. We could have really benefited from being at least one or two minutes more minutes of Johnson IP and Psycho YP vibing off each other. They have real chemistry.
Listen to “No More” here.
Edwin eats his rice and cabbages. Tweet at him@edgothboy