E-40 is one of the West Coast's most important and prolific rappers, a legacy he continues to create. In addition to songs like "Too Big" from this year with Mount Westmore, he's just dropped "In The Air Where It's Fair" with Cousin Fik. The Bay legend dominated the track with his trademark dizzying rhymes and off-beat flows, and also released a music video.
Firstly, the instrumental has its claps and bass on point, two of the most important elements of a Cali banger. Like others of its kind, it's a minimal beat that goes a long way in the bar-filled mix. There are some arpeggiating keys, floating up and down, that make the track almost spacey or woozy. However, the distorted synth hits and simple bass bring the track back to Earth.
While this may not be a revolutionary sound for E-40, it's been a while since it's dominated hip-hop. Sure, Kendrick Lamar is the greatest rapper of the moment, but cities like Atlanta, Miami, and Detroit are ripe with sonic inspiration in the game. Therefore, the West Coast is defending its roots and its legends, and E-40 is among the legends leading the charge. He recently appeared on the Wakanda Forever soundtrack alongside bilingual West Coast MC Snow Tha Product. Also, his album with Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, and Too $hort under the Mount Westmore moniker on December 9th.
One of E-40's hallmarks is his lyricism and idiosyncratic pen game. His flows fall over the beat, speed up and slow down unexpectedly, and house a compelling stream of consciousness. Moreover, he's not treading new lyrical material on the track, just being a real G and repping his city. Still, E-40 includes some funny lines, comparisons, and references in here. "This one of the most requested slappers on Shazam," "I got bars, I passed the bar exam," and "crown me like a root canal" were some standouts.
Meanwhile, guest Cousin Fik delivers some subtle but effective background vocals in the chorus to give it more dynamism. His voice isn't super notable on the track, yet the chorus sounds fuller and with more space in the mix.
Check out E-40's newest track on your preferred streaming service. Also, peep the music video and find some more notable lines from "In The Air Where It's Fair" featuring Cousin Fik below.
Quotable Lyrics
And jealousy come from suckers that's hella lazy, I can't respect it
Ain't got no hustle in they bones, in they DNA or genetics
I said what I said when I said it, I'm out here livin' the dream
You gotta stand for somethin' or you gon' fall for anything