070 Shake‘s voice was often the saving grace of G.O.O.D. Music’s uneven five weeks, five albums experiment of 2018. Her pained and hollowed wail on “Ghost Town” is the emotional climax of Ye. During Pusha T’s “Santeria,” her eerie and emotionless delivery launches the listener into the Virginia rapper’s brutal, final verse. Her brief warble on Nas’s “Not For Radio” was one of the most interesting moments on a listless project from the aging rapper.
One summer later, 070 Shake is ready to emerge from the shadows of that Herculean feature run. Grandiose, taut and propulsive, “Morrow” finds Shake taking everything she’s learned from her elders and transmitting it into her work. Instead of the brooding and often empty songs of 2018’s Glitter, “Morrow” is four minutes of epic bombast.
The hook doesn’t waste a second or word. “I know it’s hard to swallow/I don’t know if I’ll be here tomorrow” isn’t lyrically changing the world, but it’s addictive. “Morrow” is a song about impending doom that sounds like the most raucous party next door. The intergalactic beat is filled with rapid drums and twinkling synths that swirl around Shake’s voice.
“Morrow” is the rare 070 Shake song that sounds as energized as her features. It was a long time coming, but G.O.O.D. Music’s secret weapon is starting to earn the solo spotlight.