6. Saba – ComfortZone
My favorite moment on Saba’s debut mixtape ComfortZone is barely a moment at all. On album closer “United Center” just as Saba starts the tune he stops, “I should start this out with a shoutout to Lil Papi.” Then he laughs. An infectious, spontaneous, felt laugh that, for just an instant, makes you feel like you’re outside the booth watching him, laughing right along with him. Later in the song he clowns everyone in the studio with him, “All these niggas lame as hell for being in here sleep”.
This moment stands out because it’s the point when Saba finally relaxes a little. The titular comfort-zone comes in the form of the tape’s instrumentals, post-Kendrick hard knock drums sparring with lush synths, Saba on the other hands sounds like he’s been gritting his teeth together from the moment he woke up that morning till the moment he got in the booth. When Saba bends time and space around some of his more dizzying flows or layers his voice on top of itself it’s because he doesn’t think he’s worried he doesn’t have enough time to say everything he needs to say. When he raps “When daddy said he was leaving did it hurt Mom?/Wait who the fuck is this new nigga on her arm?” on “Marbles”, it stings because he doesn’t sound hurt but the pain is evident in those lines.
Where Saba’s laughing and studio shout outs on “United Center” don’t differ from the rest of ComfortZone is in their humanity. When he claims his 3.9 GPA didn’t really matter for shit on “401K” or tenderly admits “I’ve been meaning to tell you/I’ve been feeling low” on the ebullient “Tell You” it feels like the world is lifting off his shoulders. Every bar on ComfortZone means something to Saba and listening to him recite makes you feel like his closest confidant.
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One of the best most accurate and seemingly unbiased lists FSD has ever posted. Congrats to all the artists recognized big and small.
Surprised that Katie Got Bandz didn’t get nominated. I was surprised that Common made it. Truthfully, I felt like the project capitalized and pandered to his Chicago roots that he hasn’t acknowledged in a long time. Although I am sure some would argue that the gesture is to pass the torch, something about it seemed false and it is far deeper than the fact of Common not being a “drill” rapper. Plus anytime he talks about sex gives me pause.
yall left out some well known ppl reppin Chicago. Like where is CEITO
Gibbs ain’t even from nor does he live in Chicago… And where is Ceito???
Remember folks it’s a Midwest blog. Gibbs is from Gary that’s not far from the Chi. And as for projects left off the list. Maybe FSD needs an honorable mentions post
yeah we all know FSD is a midwest blog but don’t title the post best “chicago” projects if you’re gonna include outside of chicago projects. it’s a bit misleading. you don’t open a chinese restaurant and sell pizza. honorable mentions post would be nice but ceito is above that. the positive energy, no pun intended, and stylistic laid back sounds were one step ahead of the major label artists like j. cole and kendrick right now.
FSD is a Chicago blog. They have a poor representation of the Midwest.
I think Village party and Body high should of been higher on the list, overall not bad