Thundercat has been producing a heck of a rollout for his upcoming album It is What it is. After a single like “Black Qualls” that was a bit more serious but truly masterful, I never expected “Dragonball Durag”, an absolutely hilarious take on a love song with an even more entertaining visual. I guess these two singles should have had me expecting the unexpected, but his most recent release was even more unexpected than the others. Thundercat was very close with the late legend Mac Miller and that shouldn’t come as a surprise to most people. “Fair Chance”, the most recent single off of his album, is described to be a song dedicated to the loss of his dear friend. This is touching, to say the least, and he even recruited Ty Dolla $ign and the elusive Lil B to join him in paying homage to the deeply missed artist.
As far as production goes, melancholy bass and complex, somewhat chaotically organized instruments come together with a sound as if raindrops are falling in the distance. Thundercat takes a very deep, introspective look inside as he talks about how he has trouble getting over the loss as well as the facts that he’s trying to move on, and he just needs to make peace and say goodbye for now. The layers of his voice add intricacy to his words, making their magnitude feel even deeper than just the surface level of the lyrics themselves.
Ty Dolla $ign then comes in, sharing a similar message of how he felt like just the other day they were hanging out and how that has turned to just reminiscing about the past. His verse is appealing, especially because the deepness of his voice pairs very nicely with Thundercat’s higher-pitched verse that came right before. Lil B takes the last verse, bringing his bold personality in a different form than we’re used to seeing. His sometimes comical bars are kept at bay as he talks about looking inside at his soul, praying for things that only he and God know about. Although he actually raps, he does so in a slightly more melodic fashion than anticipated. It might not be perfectly on key, but you can feel the emotions and feelings he’s going through and expressing, which is probably the most notable aspect of his verse.
Although this seems like a strange trio that was brought together to pay respects to an absolute star that was taken from us way too soon, they do their due diligence to create a song that truly does honor Mac. It might not be the most traditional of odes that we’re used to hearing for beloved talents who have passed away, but it is meaningful and emotional, nonetheless. Leave it to Thundercat to bring together this group and make a truly incredible song with an instrumental that I never imagined hearing Ty Dolla $ign or Lil B on but creating great results in the end. I have absolutely no idea what to expect come April 3rd once It is What it is drops, but after all of these random singles, I couldn’t be more excited to see what a wild ride it’s going to be. Give “Fair Chance” a spin while we continue to await the highly anticipated arrival of Thundercat’s upcoming album.
Words by Danny Adams