My jam right here!

The beginning of "Wasting Time" is everything, and the first two lines are classic. 

The beat hasn't dropped yet, but my head knocks back and forth. "Whut, whut? Say whut?" I'm talking back now. (I wonder how deejays in the club respond to this song.)

​But Brent Faiyaz isn't rapping; he's singing. Really singing -- vocalizing -- rather than a fast-acting melody or lyrical quickie in popular R&B today.

​I love his vocals. His actual voice, though, reminds me a little of Slim from 112 or Raphael Saadiq. You might agree when you hear: 

Close your eyes
To get away
Just
Bang my line
And I'll arrange it
Beautiful
Girl you're stainless
You'll be fine
I'll be painless (yeah)

<Pauses>

Ohhh, I'm drinkin'
The champagne
Ohhh, you wanted
The same thing

That's my favorite part of the song, especially "Ohhh, I'm drinking the champagne."

Musically, "Wasting Time" is a hit without Drake. But Drake's verse doesn't diminish the song either. He has some lines I like:

I swear I'm more "Purple Rain" Prince
Than Prince Charming
Disappointment I stay
Expectin' it
The pessimist/Gold medalist
Flush the Magnum
So they not collectin' my specimens

Or try:

You used to do
Skincare
But now you do
Swimwear
You're ex-roommate got a condo that's downtown/But she got no furniture in her crib
I've been there

"Wasting Time" might be my favorite hit song of the year. Believe that.

A music review of "Wasting Time" (Brent Faiyaz, Drake)

Jubalyn ExWilliams lives in Pennsylvania (United States). You can find dozens of her reviews, including one for "Wasting Time" by Brent Faiyaz and Drake, at landturn.com/reviews.

Related: "Don't Make Me Beg" (2022)
Related: "Come Through" (2021)
Related: "Like That" (2021)
Related: "Lust" (EP) (2023)
Related: "single af" (2021)
Related: "Found My Niche" (2020)

"Come Through" is a song I roll my neck to and snap a finger to my ear. And I've done so a good two months before I brought myself to pen an actual review.

Neither H.E.R. nor Chris Brown tries to out-sing the instrumental. Thank you -- because the bass is the broth that warms my stomach, and the tender potatoes; carrots; and celery are the acoustic.

The melody of the song -- especially the chorus -- is what stands apart from the instrumental. But there's a harmony after the second chorus that's on another level. It begins:

I ain't really try'na spend
No time
In the house
If you ask me
How I'm feelin'
I say "yes" to going
Out tonight
I ain't did that
In a minute

Since "Come Through" is a duet, I assume H.E.R. and Chris Brown both are singing it. Regardless, the two pitches are a perfect blend.

A music Review of "Come Through" (H.E.R., Chris Brown)

Jubalyn ExWilliams lives in Pennsylvania (United States). You can find dozens of her reviews, including the one on "Come Through" by H.E.R. and Chris Brown, at landturn.com/reviews.

Related: "Wasting Time" (2021)
Related: "single af" (2021)
Related: "Don't Make Me Beg" (2022)
Related: ​"A Wanted Woman" (2021)
Related: "Lust" (EP) (2023)

Smack Vol. 9 at 6 PM ET.

I like Surf's mind and feistiness, but I'm a Twork fan. ("Jeroozalem" is a hit, by the way.) Who knows if now-sluggish Twork will win, but his poise and relative calmness in the face-off got me thinking he has three good rounds for Surf. Of course I want Twork to win, but I have Surf edging him 2-1.

Also checking for Eazy the Block Captain and K-Shine. (Didn't watch their face-off yet.) Eazy's shouting voice sounds like screeching tires to me. Otherwise, I have no hard stance on this one. Etched in sandbox sand, I have K-Shine over Eazy 2-1.

A battle rap review of the URL's Smack Vol. 9 card

Jubalyn ExWilliams lives in Pennsylvania (United States). You can find dozens of her reviews, including the one on Smack Vol. 9, at landturn.com/reviews.

Related: "Any Given Sunday 2" (2022)
Related: "Summer Madness 12" (2022)
Related: Universal Hip Hop Museum (2020)
Related: "Found My Niche" (2019)
Related: "CROWN: An Ode to the Fresh Cut" (2020)
Related: Black oral history project turns 20 (2020)
Related: "Lust" (EP) (2023)