$avvy's 'Boys Wear Pearls' Is R&B's Past, Present, and Future
Photo Credit: SkyQuajus (@trusiifuu)
Last month, Nashville rapper/singer $avvy released his long-awaited debut project Boys Wear Pearls, an eight-track tape featuring some of the most versatile performances and songwriting seen so far this year. This statement is not made lightly, however, as over the course of the project's 20 minute runtime there are countless moments where $avvy's biggest influences can be heard. Despite the fact that many comparisons and parallels can be made to artists like Saba, Pharrell, Smino, and Anderson .Paak - $avvy provides fans with his own unique sound while also building a strong case for making your weekly rotation.
Boys Wear Pearls sees $avvy effortlessly showing off his natural talents to an almost enviable extent, with every track serving as another layer of artistry that the young creative clearly has an affinity for. Tracks like the opener "Cannot Do" and "From Me" with Brian Brown are both spacious and ambient songs that help showcase $avvy's pen game, with every moment being full of semi-comical yet clever bars that may serve as your next IG caption. $avvy's laidback and hushed delivery can be heard on "Take Our Time" with A.G. Sully and "Zack & Cody," while a more aggressive and energetic register is present on "Spain" and "Shameless" with Chuck Indigo. Whether he is rapping or singing, $avvy's mastery of rhythm, flow, and melody make for infectiously catchy bangers - ones that were carefully made despite their carefree appearance.
In addition to $avvy's performances, another huge appeal to Boys Wear Pearls is the varied and dynamic mixes found on every track. While "Shameless" is a busier mix full of samples and booming percussion, "Down To Earth" sounds like the result of a studio session with Kaytranada and Thundercat. "Spain" sounds much more like the commercial R&B/hip-hop bangers you might have heard from Mick Jenkins, Smino or Monte Booker, but "Zack & Cody" has this off-kilter vocal weirdness that I can't help but come back to. While the percussion on "Take Our Time" sounds like a minimalistic cut during Drake's Caribbean phase, "From Me" sounds like a classic west-coast mix that Kendrick Lamar might have used while recording Section.80. The variation in musical styles is certainly a plus, but what makes Boys Wear Pearls an incredible record is the fact that $avvy perfectly adapts to every single style present.
Between modeling and music, $avvy is certainly a man of many talents - and Boys Wear Pearls is a perfect showcasing of this. From R&B, to hip-hop, to everything in-between, $avvy provides fans with 20 minutes of non-stop stylistic changes and dynamic performances all while staying consistently on top of his game. As of writing, Boys Wear Pearls is one of my favorite records of 2021, and with a little bit of something for every music fan, this project will certainly have something for your weekly rotation.
