A project with great rhythmic ingenuity

The project itself is really coherent and seems rather intimate. Overall Moti is sharing his will to succeed, to succeed while still staying humble, to be in keeping with what he is, but also and above all his unwavering determination in order to achieve it which is literally expressed in the title of his EP, WHSH for ‘Work Hard Stay Humble’.

The whole project is tinged with jazz, groovy or even sometimes pop sonorities, with BPM (Beating Per Minute, so basically the speed of the track, of the rhythmic, the space between the times in a way) between 100 for FREE THE MIND the slowest track and 165 for WORK N REST the fastest one.

165 is a rather fast tempo in comparison with what is done usually. By contrast, according to Wikipedia, for Rap tracks the average is more between 90-100BPM, the Trap ones are mostly on a 140BPM. IGOHOLIC is on a BPM of around 118 for instance, Hocus Pocus around 90BPM and Villain’s Manitto around 123BPM.   

You are maybe wondering what is the point of such information? Besides the fact that it is quite a performance to rap on a BPM of 165, what is rather entertaining with WORK N REST or even KNOW, which is by the way still at 140BPM, is precisely that you might have not immediately noticed the speed of the tempo.

Two factors can explain that. Moti’s ease first, the fluidity of his rap, the fact that he is good at handling his breath; but above all the lightness of his instrumentals which applies for all the tracks of the project. This lightness is partly induced by the use of samples from “real” instruments, namely an omnipresent drum, and sometimes bass or electric guitar lines, a piano or a synth. On this EP you’ll not hear 808, the deep basses peculiar to Trap tracks for instance.

More generally, the work on the rhythmic on each track is actually really judicious and hence deserved a more detailed analysis.

KNOW

KNOW is probably one of the tracks with the most noticeable jazz influence. This influence is especially brought by the very light playing on the drum. The drummer plays with a lot of flexibility which brings this rebound feeling one can have by listening to the instrumental. In the same spirit, the ride cymbal is just slightly resonating. The cracking sound effects, the piano, and the synth with the retro sonority or even the light line of double bass (when you use headphones) also contribute to build this jazz atmosphere.

But besides that, KNOW is also a really visual track, there is a real dramatic side behind this song which seems to allude to a certain madness, a madness induced by the routine, a weariness maybe, as the chorus which opens the track would indicate it.

“I know I know, You know You know, May be, I never know, You never know, I’m gonna know, You’re gonna know, May be I know, probably You know“

KNOW is indeed built on a very heady rhythmic, which would almost evoke a waltz since the 4^th beat of the bar is muted (a waltz is usually based on a third beat bar). And at the same time, the building of the atmosphere is really progressive, the track is progressively gaining in intensity.

We could approximately cut the track in three parts.

A first progression from the start of the song to 1.18 minutes, with Moti who, from 0.50minutes, is intensifying his rap but on a still rather classic atmosphere.

It’s from 1.18 minutes that KNOW is taking a surprising turn. There is still this joyful and bouncy rhythmic, but rather than simply going back for the original chorus, there is this time a sort of echo on Moti’s voice, a more agitated echo, but what is especially striking is none other than the strident screams in the background which are unequivocally evoking the madness register. In this way, there is a true discrepancy between the instrumental and the shouts. It’s like a madness which would free itself from the normative framework, from the appearances prison, or also a kind of internal conflict.

The lines between the 2^nd and 3^rd parts are more blurred. From 1.30, the chorus is tinted with autotune which brings a rather unreal dimension while the shouts keep on intensifying. Then, from 1.44, there are only repetitive, frenetic whisperings left, accompanied by strong exhalations, and suddenly, the silence!

As you’ll have understood, KNOW is impressive on its own, and that’s a good point knowing that WORK N REST is as much well thought.

WORK N REST

As previously said, it’s the fastest track of the EP, but also maybe the most cyclic one.

Once again, there is a more marked drum, especially on the third time which is often heightened by the snare drum or also the progressions on the toms which emphasize the beginning and the end of the choruses for instance.  

If this track can be described as cyclic it’s once again because of the work on the rhythmic.

Here, Moti seemingly wants to evocate the cyclic nature of his days, which would be exclusively dedicated to work and rest. And, as a consequence, it’s as if this work/rest phases were reflected in the rhythmic.

From the start to 0.58 minutes, there would be for instance a “work phase”. The rhythmic is more unbridled because both the beats and the off-beats are played. Then comes the first part of the chorus, at 0.58, and this time, only the beats are played. Then there is once again the chorus at 1.09, and once again it’s both the beats and the off-beats until 1.20 where another “rest phase” starts and so on.

It’s only at 2.32 that there is the first rupture of this cycle, even if the structure is still progressive, then there is a second one in the same vein at 3.18.  

And Moti’s strength is clearly to adapt his rap to all these changes, WORK N REST is for him the occasion to show a side of his technique.

GO