7. “Nirvana (with Falcons + B. Lewis)”

BAS • SPILLED MILK 1

My personal Artist of the Decade, I wrote this about Bas back in 2016:

I now know Bas is a full seven years older than I am, but Last Winter is clearly the musings of a colored man in his mid-20s. The whole thing is an ode to travel and meaningful experiences and trying to make something of yourself while not knowing exactly what "making something of yourself" means. … It's ultra-relatable, if nothing else.

Fortunately, it's more than [that]. It's sonically brilliant. Bas says he didn't start rapping until 2010, and that was more because it was something to do than some huge desire to become a rap star. But for a guy who sorta-kinda fell into this, his ear for music is incredible. Musicians frequently cite their desire to create "sonic landscapes," projects with supreme musical fluidity. The rookie did it on his first try.

I don’t really have much to add, except that the rookie’s a seasoned veteran now. Bas’s music makes me want to see the world, and listen to his music in the places I’m envisioning while I’m here in the States. “Nirvana” evokes the most transcendent kind of love: effortless, light, carefree, unconditional, alive. I’m so looking forward to Bas’s next decade. Cole oughta throw the farm behind him the second he senses the opportunity.