SOUNDTRACK: ILL CAMILLE-Tiny Desk Concert #746 (May 25, 2018).
I don’t know if Ill Camille’s style is West Coast, but it definitely differs from a lot of rappers. Her style is smooth, almost gentle. “Her voice is like a cool drink on a summer’s day: smooth, clear and replenishing.”
But her lyrics are powerful and thoughtful:
Her refreshing self-awareness and raw honesty are inherent in each song, pairing nicely with the jazzy, melodic rhythms provided by her close knit crew of musicians.
Ill Camille strays a bit from the hip-hop zeitgeist. She raps about love and family serving as the source of her strength, the importance of self-worth as a woman, and the necessity to nurture oneself from within. That core keeps her secure even when confronted by the despair of poverty and the difficult grind of a young artist. And you can hear all that front and center in her music.
She plays 4 songs with a live band.
The first two songs, “Spider’s Jam” and “Live it Up,” feature long time collaborators of Camille’s, Iman Omari on keys and drummer Greg Paul of Inglewood collective The Katalyst.
“Spider’s Jam” is about her uncle. She sounds almost casual in her delivery, like she;s just speaking not rapping (which is why it’s so cool that it works so well). The chorus of “handed it down” is pretty cool–very different from pop hip hop.
On “Live It Up,” Greg Paul plays a kind of lite jazz drums style. Camille says, “This is my version of trap.” Iman Omari on keys sings the chorus and adds a Jamaican flair to the song.
“Fight On” features guest vocals from emcee Damani Nkosi, who’s been rocking with Camille since her debut album.
Aneesa Strings, a bassist from the Bay Area, provided the low end foundation while also lending her rich vocals to “Fight On.”
I like the shout outs to everyone to fight on.
“Again,” is an ode to happiness and self-actualization. It’s got a cool funky bass line. The break it down section is pretty great and when it comes back out to that great bass line, the song is very cool.
[READ: May 22, 2018] “Stay Down and Take It”
This is a story about an older couple fleeing a storm and something else.
James is home early and he says “goddammit we seriously need to pack.” They are to “pack light and pack smart.” Despite the clear skies, something mean and serious is barreling down on them.
James is very stressed and prefers that she not speak on the phone while they are evacuating. She is annoyed by this but also realizes she is the passenger and the driver should not be stressed out–for her own sake.
She admits “I guess I want James to die. I don’t want this actively. Or with malice. But in a dim and distant way I gently root for James’ absence so that I can proceed to the other side of the years I have left.”
I Just Read About That... 