Few Good Things - Saba (2022)

ideated from: some new releases I’ve been into lately

I always struggle for what to talk about with rap records, because I have so little idea of what it’s like to live through the struggle a lot of rappers have. I don’t know Saba’s backstory, but I gather it involves poverty and the bruising racial inequality that so many people have to deal with. But I also identify with the feelings of being happy with what’s happening, even while being insecure about how long it can last. That ambivalent celebration of good things mixed with the worries that haven’t gone away is something I can identify with in my own way, whether or not I’ve struggled with the same things Saba has.

This record is great all the way around. Laid back grooves, melodic flow, and a ton of great features. It just radiates positivity, even in the face of things being impermanent.