Though in many ways the single “Waking Up” ft. Beazy UWP is a natural next-step in DayDay UWP’s evolution, it functions first and most effectively as another radical thrust outward into more uncharted territory. His previous works were all marked by his potent rhymes, richly warm production and off-kilter conversational-styled delivery, elements that are all still on display here. Yet those very elements have been amped up to a degree that renders their former characteristics augmented and enhanced. This is the soulful DayDay UWP sound pumped full of focused wit and let loose in hypnotic rhyme schemes just waiting for you to turn the speakers up.
Now if you’re expecting euphoric machine gun flows and a full throttle banging beat, don’t even touch that dial. This is the exact opposite- a slow-paced minimal beat and sluggish moody deliveries with just a hint of warped melody- but it is just as captivating as you would have expected. DayDay UWP and Beazy UWP play to their lyrical and storytelling strengths, with rhymes that cut to the core of the narrative like a razorblade through paper.
For DayDay UWP and Beazy UWP, the key to their rap aesthetic, is not the speed of the flow, but the weight of the words, which hit like a ton of bricks when they’re trying to communicate their experiences which we can all so easily relate to. Like waking up on a Monday morning to go work and then get hit by a series of mishaps and adventures just waiting to screw up your day in the worst possible way. The two rappers are able to take that scenario to unthinkable extremes throughout the song.
“Waking Up” is simultaneously tightly calibrated and breathlessly freeform. DayDay UWP’s rhymes are precisely laden, only to be immediately shoved aside to make room for even more bars from Beazy UWP.
This track is another prime example of DayDay UWP ability to twist and subvert rap conventions as if they were made of clay. There is truly nothing in the world that sounds like the kind of hip-hop DayDay UWP and Beazy UWP conjure here.
However that should not come as a surprise, as the rappers, who also happen to be close friends and have been making music together for 15 years, say they “like to get weird with it.” Much of this creative quality can also be attributed to the engaging productions they have assembled to bring their otherworldly visions to life. For all its off-kilter weirdness, “Waking Up” is a kind of triumph for DayDay UWP and Beazy UWP, to borrow a cliché.
A powerful ingredient in the song’s success lies in its immediacy. This record reflects the times in which we live in perfectly, with all of life’s hustle and grind, as well as the amount of banal personal anecdotes, experiences and grotesque life-changing events that affect us daily.
This is rap at its most observant, clever and boundary pushing. DayDay UWP and Beazy UWP are charting a new course for the genre, which has already seen numerous radical changes and infiltrations in the last few years. “Waking Up” is evolutionary rap at its sharpest and most focused.
