Mixtape: Bas – Quarter Water Raised Me Vol. II

Released 26^th May

Dreamville

6/10

In December 2013 I had the pleasure of witnessing J. Cole perform many of his Born Sinner bangers in the O2 Apollo in Manchester, of which I particularly enjoyed his performance of ‘LAnd of the Snakes’. Supporting him were his fellow Dreamville record label mates Omen and Bas. Bas wore an infamous ‘FIENDS’ hoodie and rocked the Action Bronson beard to the T. As Cole jokingly pushed Bas and joined in on his line “photo finish and fornication” in their song ‘Lit’, I wondered whether this rapper was one to watch. We’d heard of Bas from the ‘Cousins’ track on Cole’s Truly Yours 2 EP and then his feature on the actual Born Sinner album on ‘New York Times’, but what can we expect from this up and coming rapper?

On Quarter Water Raised Me Vol. II most of the content is about being on another level, perhaps in his career “I’m on the verge of greatness, patience is the only virtue” or, perhaps through the use of recreational drugs “Sniffin out a Benjamin, that’s the cleanest bill”. Whatever that feeling is, I’m sure we’ve all experienced it at one time or another, which is what makes this mixtape so laid back. Particularly the reggae-like vibe produced in ‘Dying Fast’ surrounding the issue of focusing on the present – travelling on tour, exploring new cities and spending the money he’s earned by doing what he loves best.

He raps about constantly supplying energy in his trade, hence the title of his debut album Last Winter (29^th April), inspired by his recording sessions in non-heated studios with Dreamville producer Ced Brown. These tracks are about the transformation from identifying your dreams to being at the point where they become realised. I don’t doubt that his current residence in Queens, New York and his upbringing in France and Qatar highly influenced his music. The 16-track mixtape offers a variety of different styles, such as ‘Love Souvenir’ produced by our very own Calvin Harris.

On April 15^th he unexpectedly dropped the Two Weeks Notice EP in preparation for his debut album. Not to mention the debut single off the album ‘Charles de Gaulle to JFK’ which gives a vibe of the journey before finally getting to where you want to in life – “Guess I’m flawed, that’s the roll, ain’t nobody perfect. Do it all just to ball and the shit is worth it”.