#warpstr

“it’s a monday” by Yung Kayo

MG:

Though Yung Kayo is brusque and blustery, and though Warpstr’s production is lush and gorgeous, the real star of “it’s a monday” is all the questions raised. Is there a difference between drug dealing and the gig economy? Are Margiela and Rick Owens dark enough designers to vibe with the subterranean theme park beat? Are the days still short enough for the world to feel this bleak? The titular line comes early on “it’s a monday,” but not before reminding us when the rest of the world is paid. It’s the kind of line that works as well here as it does in payday loan ads and on the roof of Kayo’s old car advertising the joys of working for Uber. He’s a little more circumspect than, say, Pusha T when it comes to flaunting the source of his wealth, but Kayo confirms: he’s not a rapper. He’s also not as concerned with the hustle as a drug dealer -- Kayo’s thrill is in designer clothing. (He even takes pains to point out that his hoodie is made of alpaca. How Larry David.) At first his luxury lifestyle felt at odds with Warpstr’s gorgeous work here but the more I listen, the more soulless it all feels. The closing sample, a ghostly refrain of “I can’t feel myself,” confirms that’s the point. Getting paid is the only thing that differentiates Monday from Friday anymore.

DV: