One of the staples of classic rap is how grounded the main vocal lines are. Hip hop came from the streets and the people who rose from them never lost their very human qualities no matter what angst, empowerment or other themes they were putting forth. With the advent of auto-tuning and the ever-growing number of hip hop subgenres, many crave the simplicity of dry, unaffected word of mouth. Then, there are those who treasure the opportunity to augment themselves and say something that anyone could say, but in a way nobody ever has. Enter Rich Mello & OlayaWon.
Money Trees has a hypnotic quality to it. It’s enticing in its exotic melody and hard-and-fast rhymes, but it can also be purposefully disorienting. The dreams and ambitions coming from the lyrics seem to blow past you with delays and panning while the two artists exchange verses coated with just enough reverb to make them seem like figments of some grand phantasmagoria. This is a song that captures the daunting nature of living your dreams, a theme that has been around since the early days of hip hop, but it also presents it in a way that elevates the experience. After an intent listen, you may feel like you’ve just walked through a dense crowd or floated in a pool. Whatever the case, you want to do it again.
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