Many readers may remember Father as one of the exciting and unique new voices that sprouted out around or adjacent to the SoundCloud rap generation. Since then, though, the Mississippi-born and Atlanta-raised rapper blossomed into an artist capable of many different genres, which he displayed on this year's Hu$band 2 EP. In fact, he fuses a couple of those on his latest track "Toddlerz," while all feeling like a cohesively melancholy but also hedonistic and carefree cut. After all, with lyrics referencing making girls slobber on top of a drill-like drum pattern, it's hard not to see it as that once you read into it. Still, the production gives the song a little bit more emotion and makes his lines about doing what he has to for his family hit a little harder.
First, this sound-melding beat is a winner from the start, with somber acoustic guitar leading us in. Once the bare and skeletal drill drums kick in with Father's mid-tempo flow, they take on a wholly new (and harder) effect. After a brief vocal sample, heavy cymbal hits and reverb-heavy guitars propel the track through the 32-year-old's verse in more eerie and nocturnal fashion. In fact, the guitar licks might even remind you of something from the likes of King Krule, which was an unexpected but welcome direction. Furthermore, Father's "Toddlerz" ends with a drum kit, taking us back to the alt-rock stylings of the beginning as if we never left.
Father's "Toddlerz"
Lyrically, the Awful Records leader strikes a wild balance between sexual and street references, with some added bars about mental health and his family. As far as his flow and delivery, it's all quite low-key as he doesn't really come through with explosive energy here despite the rock leanings. Instead, he continues to prove that his music gets more under your skin than anything else, and with the engaging instrumental and occasionally cheeky bars, it's in the best way possible. If you haven't heard "Toddlerz" yet, you can find it on your preferred streaming service and check out some quotable below. Also, log back into HNHH for more great hip-hop each week and the latest news and updates on Father.
Quotable Lyrics
I gotta do what I gotta do for my family
I ain't no crash dummy
Rain, sleet, snow, sad, sunny
I'm out here moving mad funny