Last week, rapper Saba gave a talk at Ohio University’s Music Industry Summit. This appearance preceded his 2022 U.S. Tour, where he is set to grow his listener base by significant margins. There is no other artist that deserves the spotlight more right now than this Chicago-based rapper. Saba has changed in his messages, but his music has stayed consistent through all of his previous albums.
He started out with his debut album, Bucket List Project. This album is significant because it’s so melodic and less and less rap-based. As he’s grown from that project, the music becomes more and more rap heavy but shifts the melodicism into the hooks and lyrics instead of just in the beats he raps over.
Saba continues to change his sound and it’s very evident when you compare his latest album to his first album. His new album, Few Good Things is fairly all over the place in terms of themes but he continues to rely on his rapping ability to make every song interesting and unique.
His music in this latest album has so many different feelings and emotions. It’s mainly influenced by west coast sound, which is not to say that he’s abandoned the Chicago rap he claimed in his previous albums.
Saba continues to have themes in his albums that separate them from one another and it’s evident that this is mainly a west coast inspired album. He is so good at throwing together catchy hooks with overall very hard-hitting verses, which is something that hasn’t changed since he began in music.
Saba is the epitome of conscious rap. He has a story behind every song, and it’s evident that music means so much to him as a form of emotional release. He talks about his life, past and present, in such a poetic way. His music has changed but the quality is still there. He continuously delivers music with messages that reflect on the hardships of his life.
He hasn’t changed this aspect to date and continues to deliver messages that are deep and hard-hitting through his music. It isn’t just rap to him because he actually wants to spread a message about his story. His music tells the audience something about his backstory. He also wants to make the audience feel something. His music inspires so much emotion because of his poetic lyrics and the musicality that is evident upon listening.
Saba is an integral addition to the underground rap genre. He’s such a unique lyricist and his display on his latest album is no different. What has changed tremendously is his musical ability. Every track on the new album is so musically unique, not just due to Saba’s unique lyrical ability, but also because he changes the musical aspect of every song to convey a different emotion.
This aspect of his style has changed dramatically, as he’s able to convey emotions through his musical ability instead of just through the storytelling he does with his lyrics. This isn’t to say his music didn’t convey a story before, but his transitioning to a more melodic sound in recent tracks shows that he is able to rely more heavily on the beats to convey emotion and a story. The most striking thing about this transition for him is that he has yet again shown that he isn’t done growing as an artist and is flexible.
Saba will continue to make leaps and bounds in the underground rap scene, as he continues to grow his fan base and make music that continues to be consistent and profound. He is set to have great success as he showcases new abilities in future music he continues to release.
