Punishing with its beats, steady and unshaken in its flow, the menacingly melodic but ultimately evenhanded “Buddha” from Elz Bentley might be one of the more reasonable and rhythmically intriguing tracks to come out of the southern hip-hop underground this summer. Clocking in at less than a minute and a half in total length, “Buddha” is definitely on the moderate side compared to some of the extended jams that other rappers have been putting out in 2020, but that doesn’t mean it’s lacking in substance or quality at all.
No matter which verse he’s cutting through, Bentley’s confidence is out of this world here, and he’s scarcely caught off guard by any of the rigid angles through which he raps in this track. Much as the title of this song would imply, there’s nothing small about the grand show of strength its creator is letting go of here, but as much as I like the mild theatrics that comprise the track’s greatest moments, they wouldn’t be nearly as enrapturing were they not commanded by a rapper who clearly has a lot more talent than some of his mainstream counterparts do right now.
The percussion in the foreground is hollow and aches for the vocal’s embrace like a lover that has been separated from their one desire in life for too long, but the cohesiveness between the two components never reaches that seamless, postmodern point that we’re all waiting for. Manipulating the tension in the room appears to be a key ingredient in this artist’s recipe for success, as he has no difficulty turning the silence – or whatever instrumentation replaces it – into an agent of evocation much like his own words would be. The bass circles the vocal, allowing for neither element to become overly dependent on the other when constructing the ascent here. The hook is very understated, minimalistic but not barren of color, and when juxtaposed with some of the intimidatingly oversized stuff I’ve been listening to out of the west coast underground lately, it’s as refreshing as it gets this summer. You’ve got to give Elz Bentley credit for his original formula – not only is he avoiding sounding recycled in “Buddha,” but he’s actually laying out a solid blueprint I’d love to see him follow once more in a full-length album capacity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7yjOXPIi0Q
I didn’t know much about Bentley prior to picking up this single and his debut album, which was also released this year, but now that I know who he is and what he’s all about, this definitely won’t be the lone occasion on which I give his music a close examination. He’s got a lot of swagger, and in a market as competitive as this one, he’s going to need it to navigate the daunting channels that come between underground stardom and full-on mainstream super-success.
“Buddha” is an amazing jumping off point, and if it can find its own audience somewhere on college radio this summer, it could be the catalyst for more spotlight in the years to come.
Troy Johnston