Saba has released another single from his rapidly-approaching third album Few Good Things, and this one boasts a guest feature from Bone Thugs-N-Harmony legend Krayzie Bone. About the guest, Saba says:
“When I think back on first discovering Bone Thugs-N-Harmony as a child, it immediately stood out to me as unique. I started paying attention and really learning how to rap from listening to them and trying to recite it. It felt honest and completely true to themselves — authentic in a way that doesn’t come around very often and in a way that will be impossible to recreate. Their mix of melody and rhythms that I had never heard is what connected with me in a way that other music just didn’t. It inspired me to be more creative.“
And on the themes of “Come My Way”, he says:
“It’s an ode to nostalgia, and growing up, and I think ‘hopeful’ and ‘soulful’ are accurate descriptions of the song. I considered a poverty song as a concept for this one. ‘All I’m doing [is] thinking how to get some money, and then we’ll be good.’ This is a false statement, but one that I believed at a point, and many others believe right now. This song also takes place in that nostalgic kind of setting. I’m describing many things that are normal on the westside of Chicago, so that it plays like just any other day — pretty stagnant but having so much life. ‘We ain’t got no time to relax’ is a harsh reality for so many people experiencing this type of poverty where the focus is on work and survival. ‘Had to run them niggas shooting shit, I wish that the guys had shields’ is an acknowledgement of grief, but the song is not written as to feel sad or sorry for ourselves. It is a reality, not one I or anyone else can change, so this song is about getting up the next day and getting to work, or getting to it however you provide, but just moving on in that fashion. ‘And then we’ll be good,’ throughout whatever adversity, and challenges, and otherwise just fucked up shit comes our way.”
“Come My Way” brilliantly captures all of those ideas in a bouncing and addictive bop. The hook is big and melodious, transporting us back to youth, when life seemed simpler. Digging deeper into the words, though, reveals a tougher truth: the facts of living day-to-day, dreaming of having enough money to get out of the hole. Saba is perfectly measured and sober, managing the balance of blissful nostalgia and brutal honesty with aplomb. Krayzie matches him with a verse that embodies his more experienced point of view, but shows he can still roll with the next generation.
Check it out below or on streaming platforms.
Saba’s new album Few Good Things comes out on February 4 through Pivot Gang. Find Saba on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
