Good Job Larry! : Why Larry June Makes Hip Hop Entertaining
Music is an art form that allows one to express themselves, but one of the most key elements to it is the delvery. The artistry behind vocals and what’s said can make or break an artist, especially in today’s age of hip hop. A once traditional listening experience that turned into an oversaturated feel influenced by the internet and fusing new trap. Although today’s sound brings more versatility, it’s not a lot of artists who are making quotable lines that people can remember. Hailing from San Fransisco, Larry June, presents an humorous void that needed to be filled in the genre. Which was making it cool again to be a player and continuously to congratulate yourself as your on the way to the winner’s circle, and laugh while doing it.
One of my friend’s from Houston was visiting my dorm in New York and we were going thorough each other’s playlist at the time. He opened his que and played June’s “Max Pain” music video, and as soon as the video started I was sold on his character. The yellow skinned rapper blurted ad-libs such as “Yeehee” and “Sock It To Me”, unleashed lyrics about mink coats and gold bezels, and doing this cohesively over a Zayotven, Deko, and OG Parker produced single. This was a sure fire example of how characters are needed in hip hop because they bring the personality out of an artist and what they represent behind their music.
June is an interesting enigma because his old school theories of macking he preaches in records such as “How You Doing Love?” but deliver a Catchphrase driven yet Another "Deacon June" written banger such as “Dope Man”. The cohesion between the two makes him rare. The overconsumption of second hand PartyNextDoors and Bryson Tillers have made music sensitive and vulnerable. It’s no problem with being open to how you feel but the overall sound + image has influenced a lot of unethical/irrational fuckery on Social Media and the way that (modern) society interacts with one another. This is only happening because it’s no one sticking to the players code and what sets June apart is that he doesn’t stray away from that. The Bay areas vintage mannerisms are instilled in his vocabulary but modern day Atlanta instrumentation is the perfect sound for his music. The combination puts him in a class of his own.
Despite his fused artistry, it’s a fun experience to listen to June. His off the wall mindset is just coherent to how far he can go with what he does. In an interview with Thizzle, he was explaining why “Whole Foods Larry” is a thing. It’s more than buying expensive groceries (preferably exquisite oranges and lemonade), it’s a statement of saying “We Came Up”. Everything has a rhyme and reason, and June is strategically letting it be known that he’s here to produce motivational music but at the same time make you laugh.
Larry June is providing a lot of components that most artists can’t bring to the table. Staying comfortable in his own skin, eating his own oranges, and following his own guidelines, it seems like Larry June will be one of the lone wolfs that will succeed in 2016.