{"id":486151,"date":"2019-05-21T14:39:34","date_gmt":"2019-05-21T20:39:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/?p=837846"},"modified":"2019-05-21T14:39:34","modified_gmt":"2019-05-21T20:39:34","slug":"song-you-need-to-know-kota-the-friend-solar-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kqzr\/music-news\/song-you-need-to-know-kota-the-friend-solar-return\/","title":{"rendered":"Song You Need To Know: Kota The Friend, \u2018Solar Return\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Hip-hop is currently awash in luxury dad rap. In the last decade rap has seen an emergence men with unresolved daddy issues dealing with the mundane and costly realities of becoming fathers themselves. Jay-Z faced the thought of losing his family in the wake of infidelity on 4:44<\/em><\/a>. Kanye West\u2019s Ye<\/em><\/a> clumsily dealt with his growing anxiety around raising daughters. Drake was backed into a corner by Pusha T on Scorpion<\/em><\/a>, and made the distinction he wasn\u2019t hiding his kid from the world, but the world from his kid. These moments, though often visceral and heartfelt, are told through the vantage point of celebrity and wealth.<\/p>\n

Kota The Friend<\/a>\u2018s \u201cSolar Return,\u201d featuring Saba, is a refreshingly new take. Melancholic, grateful and tender, the independent Brooklyn rapper \u2014 who\u2019s quickly gaining a robust audience \u2014 spins a ground level story that darts between generations. Kota\u2019s mom is \u201cpraying for his liver,\u201d while his son is dealing with sharing his dad \u201cwith the world.\u201d The song teeters on the edge of intense sincerity and too-sweet sentimentality, but it\u2019s countered by a subtle beat and the perspective of a musician experiencing a new level of success for the first time. Mournful keys and soft horns provide a nostalgic backdrop for Kota to assure his son he\u2019ll return home. It\u2019s a simple concept, and it coalesces during the song\u2019s climax. As the beat switches to a more forceful piano melody, Kota momentarily comes to terms with himself, his demons and career: \u201cMy son don\u2019t even like me going to the store\/He be thinking it\u2019s another tour,\u201d he raps at the end of his second verse. Before sadness can creep in, Kota promises \u201cI\u2019ma see you when I\u2019m back home.\u201d<\/p>\n