i fell in love with george watsky’s beats, cadence, melodies, but above all, words in an album I picked up on the old iTunes a few years ago. on the surface, before pressing play, perhaps an opportunistic teenager hoping to cash in on a short-lived wave of white rappers, he soon revealed himself instead a rapid-fire poet with contentions and ambitions rarely pondered in hip hop, all the while holding our fragile hands with the help of humor, incredible collabs and that fresh face you just want grandma to squeeze.

there is always something new to find in watsky’s lyrics, something you missed while busy marveling at rhymes never attempted by his fellow emcees, something that concerns you directly in one song or another. and that is what I love about his new album cardboard castles, for which he is currently on tour and whose 17 tracks span the ridiculous and, embedded below in 2 parts, the wonderful…

part 1:

part2:

as always with young newish artists on the cusp of fame beyond the fan base, I fear what mainstream appeal may do to his irreverence but for now, I bask in his innocence, his skill and his art… join me, won’t you?…