THE JAWN - AKIL DASAN
Hip-hopper Akil Dasan doesn’t need an outrageous grill to show his musical worth. When he unleashes one of his tongue-twisting raps, you hear the gold in his mouth. And forget about rudimentary, overproduced loops and samples. The Philadelphia native eschews them for lounge-smooth soul that’s rife with funky beats and — praise God — melody. “The Jawn” exemplifies Dasan’s lightening-quick syncopations (their speed and precision put him in league for a throwdown with Eminem) and his quest for positivity. He disavows the rapper stereotype that spews “repellent, negative messages” and theorizes, “Instead of stayin’ home raisin’ the youth/We raisin’ the roof.” The timing is right for Dasan to crash hip-hop’s over-hyped party. But can his fresh approach slip past the cognocenti’s velvet rope? Billboard
