Japanese beatmaker/producer Matatabi is very obviously influenced by Nujabes, as most “lo-fi” artists are these days. What can I say? There are two artist/producers from the ’90s that impacted pretty much every subgerne of hip hop since their passing: J Dilla and Nujabes. It makes sense that Matatabi would take cues from his revered senior. And as common as the sounds are nowadays, it’s still such a blessing to hear rappers use the late Japanese master’s production style with such respect. This is nostalgic hip hop because of its influence, music that is still trying to navigate through a lot of pseudo-hardcore/horrorcore/gangsta/trap. Simple, melodic, focused on deft delivery and lyricism. From wall to wall, just a pleasant album.
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