‘Nothin Else’ has a genuine angst and attitude to it that represents classic and vintage hip-hop with great strength. The beat and the backdrop on the whole have a musicality that sets a mellow yet somewhat dark vibe, and the rap vocal performances on top of this have the right kind of emotion and energy to match that flawlessly. It’s a refreshing track to listen to, inspired by real hip-hop, and this is clear, though the whole thing has a fairly original feel to it for this time. The riff in the backdrop is simple, but effective – it has a distant sort of sound to it, and this adds to the city life ambiance of the piece, the feeling of the streets, which again is matched and further enhanced by the lyrics.
The lyrics have an honesty to them that works well, and the concept is something that real hiphop fans will appreciate and relate to. The idea of doing what you do and not trying to be like someone else is a powerful one, and the hook of this track enforces that idea with great skill – it stays with you after listening, and the intensity of the song makes it really a much more striking concept than it would perhaps be in a less attention grabbing song. Much more than this though, the music sets a certain kind of vibe that is easy to get into, easy to set playing and chill out to, or easy to use to get into the right kind of mood to go after whatever it is that you want in life – to work hard and keep heading in the direction that suits you. It’s a strong piece of music, and the character in the leading voice comes through brilliantly within the mix.
By Rebecca Cullen
Rebecca is a Musician and writer from Manchester, UK, with an MA in Song Writing.
