Khalid and The Get Down

Today I have some music for you by the R&B singer known as Khalid. The Texas native has dropped some really good music within the past few months and puts his own style to the genre of R&B. Each one of his songs is different, giving him a range of sounds and vibes and even genres. If anything, that is one of the things that makes Khalid such a cool and smooth artist. Khalid is very good at genre bending and bringing in other musical flavors from genres across the board. With this song, we get a bit of chillhop and some blues work as well. These are two styles that you wouldn't normally put together, but oddly enough they work very well! We really get to hear that blues influence in the way Khalid incorporates the guitar. There is a really pleasant flow to the guitar melody and is one that involves a lot less strumming and more picking. That gives the guitar line a crispness that makes us pay attention to the flow of the song and gives us more of that smokey room vibe. There is also a good amount of synth and drum pad work that has gone into the production of this song. We hear the synth much less than other chillstep and chillhop songs, but such is the life of R&B sounds. The soft synths in the background are there to be a nice filler and support. The synth line is tuned well enough to fit with any part of the melody but is also bland enough to where we get just the slightest hint of their sounds and they fade into the rest of the song. Now the drum pads are where things get more interesting. I for one, love how R&B music is really driven by beats and percussion melodies. Khalid's song is no different and has some pretty sweet percussion work! There is, of course, a nice consistency to the beats kept by the drums, but they are so much more prominent. The drum beats take up a huge part of the front soundscape which makes them quite important. When the song starts, we are introduced to the recurring electric guitar line using the first line of the chorus. Which then gives way to a full blown sound with the drums. Without that bright and rather upfront sound, the song feels unsupported and incomplete.We get the high hats and diddles and paradiddles which give the percussion line a bit more dynamism. And of course, this song would be nothing without the smooth vocals of Khalid himself. The man not only produces his music but writes and records it as well. Pretty impressive for an eighteen-year-old if you ask me. Khalid's voice definitely sounds more mature than his age would suggest, and I think that is quite brilliant. His voice is smooth and full, kind of like molasses. The crisp vocals and retro-soul serve us a warm tune that will make anyone's ears happy. Khalid is definitely a bit of a crooner as well, but he has a gentler and fluid voice that washes over you very nicely. Khalid is an artist for millennials. He brings his own experiences and trauma with love and relationships to the table, and makes it something that so many of us can relate to. I have to say, Khalid's music is not only good, it is impressive. He may have surfaced towards the end of 2016, but his music is going to take off and make him a king in 2017. Today's instrumental song comes from the Netflix original, The Get Down. Now the show is on my long list of things to watch, but I haven't made it all the way over to that show yet. However, the soundtrack for this show is really good and very hip hop focused. Given that the show is all about hip hop culture, it makes sense. What is really cool though, is that the music in the show is original as well. We don't see that very often, and I am so stoked that we now have a show that is putting out classic hip hop. I hope you enjoy the music and please feel free to comment!