Wednesday 10/21: Pink Siifu and Fly Anakin—"Mind Right" (Feat. Liv.e)
Today, we share our thoughts on a new song by the Baltimore rapper Pink Siifu and the Richmond rapper Fly Anakin.
Welcome to Endless Scroll, the brainchild of Eli Enis (he/him) and Eric Bennett (they/them). Since Feb. 2019, we’ve been a weekly podcast about music, the internet, and where those two things intersect. Now we’re, also a M-F newsletter about songs. Our format is simple: a link to a song and a short take from each of us about what we think of it. Each day of the week has a corresponding genre: Monday is indie, Tuesday is punk, Wednesday is hip-hop, Thursday is pop, and Friday is misc.
Today, we share our thoughts on a new song by the Baltimore rapper Pink Siifu and the Richmond rapper Fly Anakin.
Pink Siifu and Fly Anakin—"Mind Right" (Feat. Liv.e)
Michael Brooks:
“Mind Right,” our most recent taste of Pink Siifu and Fly Anakin’s upcoming collaborative album Fly Siifu’s, is a stoned-out masterpiece. Produced by former Vine star Jay Versace, who’s also appeared on albums by Westside Gunn and Boldy James this year, the beat is lucid and cozy, providing just enough of a backdrop to help set the tone of the track without stepping on anyone’s toes. If you’ve been plugged into underground hip-hop at any point over the past five years you won’t be surprised as to what kind of beats both rappers gravitate towards, but it’s hard to imagine either Pink Siifu or Fly Anakin, two extremely singular MCs, operating in any other space.
During each one of their verses, the pair teeters the line between twisting syllables at every turn and a laidback almost stream of consciousness delivery; like two class clowns who smoke weed and make art instead of studying yet still ace their classes with ease. The real star of the show though is Liv.e, whose debut album Couldn’t Wait to Tell You is one of the most underrated projects of the year, for what it’s worth. She takes the third verse, matching the duo’s hypnotic energy with an electrifying verse all her own, her voice adding a certain plushness and warmth to the song that really takes it to a whole new level for me. I’ve loved everything that I’ve heard from Fly Siifu so far, so I’m really excited to hear what the rest of this record sounds like.
Eli Enis:
I became familiar with Pink Siifu through his involvement in last year’s Billy Woods album, Terror Management, and this year’s Armand Hammer record (the duo of Billy Woods and Elucid). Although I wasn’t sold on the latter album (an unpopular opinion in indie-rap circles), I appreciated Siifu’s verse during the opening track, and I think he and Fly Anakin make for a similarly charismatic duo as Woods and Elucid do at their best. I personally wasn’t wowed by Jay Versace’s production on that Boldy James tape (compared to his Alchemist and Sterling Toles-produced records from this year anything would sound flat, though), but here I think the simplistic and lilting beat works because Fly and Siifu have such lackadaisical flows.
As they bring to life in the music video, the two have that slacker chumminess that Michael mentioned and I think it really comes through here. To carry that metaphor one step further, Liv.e is essentially the brilliant cool girl who can hang with their antics during the school project, but is ultimately the one who secures them the A. Her breathy flow is effortless and adds so much soulful character to the track. She’s also a terrific lyricist, with this little passage sticking out to me: “What is a lie when everything you perceive is the blues? / What is the truth if I can't even feel if it's true / What do I do when I'm stuck between pick and a choose?” I, too, am stoked for the full Fly Siifu project but I’m equally stoked to dive into Liv.e’s tape now.