5ive Ft Giant

Melodic hip-hop is undisputedly the most dominant force in American music right now, and if you want to know the reason why, you should be listening to indie players like 5ive Ft Giant right now. 5ive Ft Giant blends soul, trap and G-funk together into a signature cocktail as intoxicating as any stiff vodka martini you’re going to be served in 2020, and in his new single “Let’s Dance,” he doesn’t leave any room for debate among the critics as to whether or not he’s the real deal. “Let’s Dance” was conceived to do just what its title would imply, and in my opinion, it’s a real homerun for its composer. 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/5iveft?lang=en 

Whether he’s rapping or singing, 5ive has a very focused style of attack from behind the microphone that consistently gives him more of a swaggering edge than I’m used to encountering among musicians independent and mainstream alike. He’s never afraid to push himself to the limit in terms of what he can do with his voice, and I get the feeling in “Let’s Dance” that he’s feeling particularly annoyed with the status quo in R&B this summer - to the point of actively doing something about it with one of the richest hooks to be included in his discography thus far.

Watch the Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX4ZRlzd4Ps&feature=youtu.be

This song has a really great rhythm that is hard to get out of your mind once you’ve been exposed to it for the first time, and its weight doesn’t go unutilized in the grander scheme of things for even a second. Mood is everything in this music, and in order for 5ive Ft Giant to squeeze as much charisma as he can out of the physicality of the bassline and percussion, he can’t afford for wasted or synthetic elements in his sound. In this department, “Let’s Dance” is a picture of efficiency that some of his mainstream competitors could learn something from  

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/5ive-ft-giant/200900790 

I’ve given it a lot of thought, and I really don’t think you can be a real R&B or melodic hip-hop fan in 2020 and dismiss what 5ive Ft Giant’s immense compositional credibility, especially after listening to this incredible new jam in “Let’s Dance.” He’s got a style and humble approach to his music that I wish I could hear more of on the FM dial in general, and with a little more exposure for his body of work, I just might see that wish come true rather soon. 

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Trace Whittaker

Newcastle-upon-Tyne

9/2020