A few weeks back, DRAM shocked the world when he announced that he was dropping the periods from his name, turning an acronym into a straight up word. The Big Baby has since followed up his artistic re-brand with a new loosie, produced by the legendary Rick Rubin. The song, titled "Check Ya Fabrics," is a strange journey, and DRAM's soulful vocals are pitched up to near-helium induced heights. It's a strange creative choice, but it helps give the song a surreal quality, as DRAM delivers stream-of-consciousness lyricism, going off about clothes, his status, and some of his issues with haters. The scattershot lyrics eventually shift into a narrative of sorts, but in truth, it's not the most linear experience.
Rubin's production follows a similar aesthetic as his work on Eminem's Marshall Mathers LP 2, with emphasis on live instrumentation. The soulful beat sounds like something you might hear on a Kendrick Lamar interlude, and in some ways, it's curious to see DRAM experimenting with more unconventional songwriting techniques. However, this track might have been even better if DRAM delivered it with his regular voice, as the effects are sometimes a little distracting. As the song reaches a climax, so too does DRAM's lyricism, and hearing the passion come through in his performance might have breathed a little bit of life into this one.
Still, "Check Ya Fabrics" is a cool little drop, and showcases a daring new side of DRAM's musical personality. While it doesn't quite live up to its own glimmers of potential brilliance, it remains an enjoyable journey nevertheless, and makes you wonder what DRAM might be capable of in the future. Gone is the accessibility of "Broccoli," replaced by a freeform, jazz-inspired piece of experimental spoken-word. Frank Ocean and Childish Gambino fans may very well love this one.
Quotable Lyrics
Anyway we walked up in the chicken joint
And the girl tapped her man like "babe, that's that boy
That did that song, that one song that I be on,
All that fuck shit, that singalong, the one my kids like"
