Depending on who you ask,
CyHi The Prynce is either the most underrated or under-performing of Kanye’s friends. Much like King Chip, the “reservoir for metaphors” is a somewhat capable
MC who has an equal amount of fans and detractors. CyHi remains album-less
after four years of GOOD Music purgatory and even a co-sign from the Illustrious
Beyhive has it’s limits. To keep busy while pondering why Teyana Taylor came
off the bench first, the 30 year old released two freestyles last week.
As a sucker for prominent
retro samples, “Forever” and “To Be Real”
sound golden to yours
sincerely. “Forever” is a pledge of allegiance to the grind over a repurposed
hook from matching outfit era Jodeci and chopped Keith Sweat sample. CyHi’s
dense collection of bars is secondary to the throwback tunes, but the frustrated
vibe from ‘Ye’s rumoured ghostwriter is hard to miss.
"To Be Real" hit 45k plays in 24 hours and the rework of Cheryl Lynn’s 70s disco hit is another production win even she commended. CyHi often trades in back to back simple metaphors e.g “treat rappers like trampolines. I just bounce on ‘em.” This is the specific technique that divides listeners into opposing camps, you either think the quick-wit works well with the bubbly beat or it makes you cringe. No matter what side you fall on, the beats are enough to overlook CyHi’s wordplay. As a fan of both, I happen to agree with the eloquent commenter who stated “anyone who doesn’t like these can head-butt a knife.” If the man who insists on misspelling prince and using elementary rhymes keeps his production team close, Kanye might just let him put some numbers on the board.