Love Song - Jean Grae
As someone for whom Soul was my primary music before the emergence of hip-hop, this Jean Grae song really really grabbed me.
The South Africa born, Brooklyn bred, spitter used the first verse from the Stylistics Stop Look, Listen as her intro, then rapped over a remixed version of the 1971 classic. She chose to adlib and respond to the falsetto stylings of lead vocalist Russell Thompkins.
I would not rate this as her best work from a technical standpoint. Jean's lyrical acrobatics have been displayed on many other tracks. This post isn't about flow though. This song is a really raw, and passionate narrative.
She really opens up on this song and accepts her missteps and naivete without attempting to rationalize her actions. She succinctly concludes each verse with a matter of fact tone, perhaps hopeful and defiant in spirit, "still a love song"
The song is also has some technical aspects. What begins as a story told in third person point of view, later slips into first person.
"She cries until the river dries and leaves her dead and cold
Packs up her things and leaves behind what I thought was gold was only gold-plated
Thinking of all the other ones I coulda just left and up and dated
Single after four years
Starting over never easy
But it takes some time to realize your own worth
Come into your own
Play your mental rebirth
She starts penning some better poems
Straighten up her bank account
Likes to take herself out
I'm getting better at it
I've had a few relationships
But still too young and dumb enough to call it quits"
She also intentionally switches from first person to third person during the last parts of the this verse only to confess later that, "Maybe it's easier to talk about this shit in third person.."
Well done Ms Grae.
