Music Review: Bas – Quarter Water Raised Me: Volume 2

It seems that J. Cole is trying to build a squad around him. The inclusion of Bas (pronounced Base or Bass) is his way of solidifying his efforts. I must add that I know nothing of this guy. I do know that I did enjoy his track “Lit” which features J. Cole. Thus, I wanted to see if J.Cole knew what he was doing with Bas.

With a few listens, I can give an emphatic “yes”.

Taking some notes from J. Cole (or from himself), Bas relates everything together from the perspective of a “regular person”. With a track like “Amazonian Queen”, he unleashes lyrics like “…vines in the ravine/swing down from ya throne/and bow down to ya king”. On “Dying Fast”, he laments the hood foolishness and over indulgence with “…I give niggas a shovel/tell ‘em get to diggin’/you ain’t finished ‘til that hole is big enough for you to fit in…”. On “Pinball”, he makes sure that people understand he is “the future like Pluto” and all his chicks “got culo”. With a few listens, you can catch many of the references and comparisons made throughout.

The production on here, for the most part, is attractive and worthy of being heard. The guitar wahs wahs and moog sounds on “Attica” helps Bas’s lyrics paint a picture with his words. Lifting one of my favorite Clams Casino instrumentals, “Black and Blue” rides the waves of both emotion and serenity to make itself work. The keyboard riffs and zone out instrumentals on “Stronger” makes it a song to ride to. Seemingly, the production on here works well with the lyrics.

So, what can be truly said about Bas? Well, for one, he is pretty dope on the lyrical stand of things. Another thing is that he has an ear for production. What I DO hope happens is that he doesn’t wrestle in J. Cole’s overcast. He has to establish his own career and his own fans. Then, and only then, will his career progress whether he is Dreamville or not.