NxWorries: Yes Lawd! review – Paak and Knxwledge have all the answers

(Stones Throw)

The singer Anderson .Paak and producer Knxwledge, though both acclaimed for their solo releases, deliver some of their most creative work under the collaborative NxWorries alias. On this highly anticipated debut, Paak’s husky half-singing, half-rapping vocals are the perfect match for Knxwledge’s intricate and experimental arrangements. The producer’s heady mix of soulful harmonies, old funk samples and laid-back hip-hop beats provide a luxurious backdrop to Paak’s intimate confessions on tracks such as the lusty What More Can I Say and the humorous finale, Fkku. There’s also great ingenuity in the shorter interludes comprising little more than random chatter over a simple melody (Can’t Stop). An album with this much flair and originality is hard to fault.

Contributor

Isa Jaward

The GuardianTramp

Related Content

Article image
Anderson .Paak: Ventura review – sweet and loose
(Aftermath)

Kitty Empire

14, Apr, 2019 @7:00 AM

Article image
Anderson Paak: ‘If Dre had called five years ago, I don’t think I’d have been ready’
The US rapper and singer spent his 20s on the fringes of the music industry. Now, with his dazzling second album, Dr Dre’s latest protege is equipped to address his turbulent youth

Matt Munday

10, Apr, 2016 @8:00 AM

Article image
Kate Tempest review – a perfect storm
Kate Tempest felt the love as she rhymed and rapped her way through her new album, Let Them Eat Chaos

Kitty Empire

11, Dec, 2016 @9:00 AM

Article image
Young Fathers: Cocoa Sugar review – sounds like freedom feels
(Ninja Tune)

Damien Morris

10, Mar, 2018 @3:00 PM

Article image
Genesis Owusu: Struggler review – an excess of creative energy
The Ghanaian-Australian rapper crosses genres to striking effect, from breakbeats and funk to addictive synth-pop

Ammar Kalia

20, Aug, 2023 @12:00 PM

Article image
Mac Miller: Swimming review – not drowning, but waving
(Parlophone)

Tara Joshi

05, Aug, 2018 @7:00 AM

Article image
Little Simz review – an introvert on full beam
Showcasing one of the year’s best albums, the rapper is on impassioned form in a set that opens up from rapid-fire grime to lush funk and soul

Kitty Empire

04, Dec, 2021 @2:00 PM

Article image
Paris Texas: Mid Air review – a blast of fresh air
LA duo Louie Pastel and Felix combine rap with left-field sounds and a punk-adjacent attitude on their full-length debut

Kitty Empire

23, Jul, 2023 @8:00 AM

Article image
Childish Gambino review – sings like an angel, raps like a demon
In a magnetic solo show, the polymath superstar looks anything but a man on the cusp of goodbye

Kitty Empire

30, Mar, 2019 @2:00 PM

Article image
Tierra Whack: World Wide Whack review – witty, wild and from the heart
The Philadelphia rapper takes her Missy Elliott-gone-Sesame Street vibe to a darker place on her debut album proper

Kitty Empire

17, Mar, 2024 @9:00 AM