Sada Baby – “Black Harlow”
Sada Baby does not take time off for the holidays. Thus far this year, the Detroit underground-rap overlord has released three mixtapes. Brolik, the first of those, came out on New Year’s Day. And while the rest of the music business is winding down for late-December hibernation, Sada continues to crank out new tracks. Last week, Sada dropped “Pressikan” and wore a fucking sombrero in the video. Today, he’s got a new one called “Black Harlow.”
On “Black Harlow,” Sada raps over a classically-Detroit rubbery bassline and a weirdly psychedelic loop of I don’t even know what. Violin sounds, played backward, maybe? But this isn’t an experimental song. It’s just Sada talking virtuosic shit. On “Black Harlow,” it’s not so much what Sada says has how he says it. He switches up from a strained roar to an intricate, whispery fast-rap flow. After letting you know that nobody’s fucking up his mood, he also lets loose with what might be his most cathartic whoo! yet.
Right now, “Black Harlow” is a YouTube exclusive, which makes me think that there’s an album coming sometime soon. A song like this can’t be kept off of streaming services forever. The video, in which Sada parties with fellow Detroit rap greats, is just a regular Sada Baby, but his charisma makes it watchable. Check it out below.