The mood that Floridian beatmaker GRANT is trying to invoke on “Gucci Loafers” is clear just from reading the title. The track certainly lives up to the casual elegance suggested therein. Drawn from his recent beat tape, the tune — which fails to breach the one minute mark — is a mesh of jazz samples and crackling drum hits that seem to draw more immediate influence from the godheads of rap production (your Madlibs and your Dillas) than the electronic production scene that he’s embroiled himself in.
Some might take issue with the length of the track, but it does exactly what it sets out to do. It calls to mind the indulgent lifestyle so often fetishized by the Soulja Boys of the world, and in a way more compelling than many of the rappers who’ve tread familiar ground. Ultimately this is a rap beat, drawn from a beat tape. It’s meant to be rapped over, and sure, who couldn’t imagine a gruff-voiced MC going hard over the soulful sound, but here — in the form the track takes now — it’s still an interesting insight into the career of a producer who’s just getting his start.
Off of GRANT’s newly released Beat Tape Vol. 1.
