Black Hole

It’s funky time with Chris Dave and his bunch, and with some heavy support in the face of Anderson .Paak on top of that! When you have names like these involved in a collaboration, you just can’t help but set the expectations bar way too high. “Black Hole” shows that there’s a good reason for that.

It’s a track off Chris Dave And The Drumhedz’ eponymous debut LP and it marks the first of the two Anderson .Paak features to come in the album.

Chris Dave is a name that has became synonymous with virtuoso drumming not only when it comes to contemporary jazz, but to high-profile collaborations with names such as D’Angelo, Adele, Bilal and many others. On his debut album, he also flexes some serious muscles as composer and a band leader. The most indicative evidence for that is perhaps the fact that “Black Hole” feels way more than an Anderson .Paak song than an overly complicated jazz composition with some rapping on top of it done simply for the sake of being there.

That being said, musicianship is still present and it’s very, very audible. If you listen to the drums more closely, for example, you will understand why Chris Dave is such an acclaimed performer that has been praised not only by some of the most prolific pop artists of our era, but some of the most renowned jazz artists such as Kenny Garrett and Robert Glasper. On “Black Hole” he delivers the goods in an exemplary manner, providing deliciously understated syncopated beat. The drumming, along with the groovy basslines laid by Pino Palladino and Keyon Harrold’s progressively frantic trumpeting, all serve as the most appropriate background for Anderson .Paak’s outlandishly playful flow and lyricism.

The subject matter of “Black Hole” is… well, it’s black holes. The twist comes from the fact that the story comes from the perspective of the everyday hustler, just trying to escape falling into the belly of it. And yes, it’s as crazy and as addictive of a song as it sounds!