Rap has been collectively moving to the left of pop standards for a minute now, as more and more crossovers come into the primetime spotlight, but for Arkadian, the time is right to bring forth an old-school straightforwardness that few have been experimenting with. His new single “Life of Arkadian” has a certain retro quality to its presentation, but relative to the other content that’s been coming out on both coasts this year, this eastsider’s lack of interest in the postmodernity scores of his contemporaries have been employing is rather curious and exciting to me as a critic and a rap fan.
Arkadian’s puritanical approach to his vocal aside, these lyrical emissions he has to offer are poetic and pulsating, joining forces with the groove in this single to give us a collective punch that I don’t disagree with. There could have been just a bit more bass in the grander scheme of things and I wouldn’t have minded, but I can understand the desire for a black and white foundation for this track. “Life of Arkadian” doesn’t have the sluggish bottom-end so many other rap singles do right now, and it’s largely because of the way its composer slices through his verses here.
You could call this single a throwback to the old guard in hip-hop and not be wrong, but in any case, it’s certainly a song too attractive to the ear to be ignored. Rap connoisseurs have come to expect a lot of thought in their favorite content, and although he’s rather to the point with his methods, Arkadian is someone putting something real into his words. These aren’t empty lyrics backed by a hollow groove, but instead the commentary of a player who knows where and what he’s talking about no matter the verse he’s producing.
Kim Muncie