For the past couple years, we have seen the dominance of Hip-Hop almost keeping R&B at bay, championing the new golden era of the genre, to the point that amidst an array of quality tracks, even the successful ones are not meeting their potential.
An example is Cash Money’s current star Jacquees, with his breakthrough hit, Like Baby,
as catchy as it may be, it had not fully connected, although I believe that was due to the ongoing Birdman/Lil’ Wayne dispute, as with the full support of the roster, it would have no doubt transitioned well beyond the states (Whilst he has fans across the globe, Jacquees is still relatively unknown in most parts, especially the UK), though that’s a whole ‘nother discussion, as it signifies Young Money’s relevance over it’s parent company, with the likes of Wayne, Drake & Nicki Minaj. The song itself pays homage to them and kind of fell flat at a time they were no longer synonymous with Cash Money. None the less, he has been able to do well within his hometurf, and the other issue arises that most platform’s loyalty lay with Wayne & co, and the Cash Money crooner was not heralded the same, as one would expect.
Not to make this a CM/YM piece, a firm believer that talent cannot be denied, Jacquees released more material, continuing to build his fanbase, and without that notably missing support, he’s still managed to develop his social media following, and it was not long before he had another hit on his hands. This time in the form of the B.E.D., sampling and paying homage to Avant’s classic Read Your Mind.
With his distinct voice and vocal range (I do joke that he and the UK’s Loick Essien need to have a sing-off as there’s a lot of similarities), there is no denying his ability, he’s nice with the pen too, as he flips the classic line into his own anthem for the ladies. It has since made it’s way from being a mixtape cut, to one of the rising hits, with a mad amount of shows in the process, it’s certainly the people’s favourite. The track also went onto getting the remix treatment, featuring two of the best acts around in Quavo & Ty Dolla $ign, and it does not disappoint, although sometimes a remix can overshadow, if it helps bring the young performer to more prominence then I’m all for it.
With this remix, Jacquees holds his own amongst the two heavyweights, and further proves his ability. It’s a decent visual, featuring the beautiful Keke Palmer with the cameo, which had essences of Usher getting his hair braided in the Donell Jones video (U Know What’s Up), not to mention his take on the 2Pac bathtub photoshoot, whilst the two features bring their flavour to the mix, both on the audio and visually with the styles we’ve become accustomed to from both.
A hybrid artist of sorts, comfortable rapping as he singing, though in an era full of autotune-singers, he boasts the poignant ability to truly sing with the best of them.
He recently graced the BET awards pre-show (though I think he could have been more justified on the actual show), and it was slightly disrespectful, but unprofessional for sure, as they had only cued up his remix, rather than the original version of B.E.D. which he had rehearsed to perform (with dancers and all), but these things can happen at a show of such magnitude, and the young talent showed his artistry, as he handled the situation like a veteran and even gave the crowd an acapella performance, which (for me at least) proved his showmanship further. With his album 4275 on the way, the Atlanta native is certainly looking to capitalise further on his recent success, and you can no doubt expect more fire, as his work ethic is hard to be matched, with a whole lot of music and videos to check for in the mean time.
ONE Fáris 