Saba continues his streak of weekly releases with his lyrical complex but catchy latest single, “Where It’s At.” Just like last previous single “Papaya,” it’s produced by Saba himself, along with an assist from DaeDaePIVOT.
Over the sparse beat, which features a skeletal drum and basic synth stabs to underline Saba’s convoluted flow, the Chicago rapper explains his money mission with rapid-fire punchlines and wordplay. “40 acre my reparation,” he raps. “Tax in action, that’s for my places.” Later in the song, he reiterates how serious his is about his checks, commanding, “Pay me on the day you agree to pay me on,” or else “My n—-s’ll take your legs, turn you to Brandon Roy.” The reference is Saba’s clever way of saying he’ll send the leg-breakers after you; Brandon Roy, of course, is the former NBA star whose career was cut short due to continued knee problems.
With Saba on such a roll to close out the year, you have to wonder if he’s building up to another full-length project. Although his album Care For Me received rave reviews and provided enough material to chew on for the last six months, it’s become almost standard industry practice to release multiple albums in a year. We do know that he has a collaborative project with fellow jazzy Midwesterners Smino and Noname coming soon, but for now, if songs like “Beautiful Smile” and “Excited” are just standalone singles to get the ideas out, we’ll be more than happy to accept them.
