“I like that down south feel, like I’m ploughing crops.” That’s how Tree starts Sunday School 2, his latest tape. He’s a different type of dude.
Forget rappers—his gravelly voice brings to mind Chicago bluesman like Muddy Waters and Howling Wolf. One Youtube comment reads: “Rap game Louis Armstrong right here.” If Chance the Rapper yelps and cackles, you can find Tree in the cut, growling. His adlibs are hardly ever words—they’re weird guttural sounds that somehow work oddly well.
Following in the footsteps of Kanye’s chipmunk soul, Tree has tweaked the formula a bit and created his own niche that he calls “soul-trap.” Naming a sub-genre is a highly suspect move, but it’s also an apt term. As a rapper/producer, Tree makes beats that pair sped-up soul melodies with skittering hi-hats and Southern bass bombs. On “The King,” he makes Elvis sound like Alvin, speeding up “I Can’t Help Falling In Love With Love” that builds to an ill drop. The drums boom like Young Chop’s, but with a soulful vibe instead of being gleefully Gothic.
Considering the title of the tape, gospel elements inevitably creep into tracks, creating the perfect soundtrack to a Sunday morning smoke out. Unsurprisingly, the lead single is called “Devotion.” It’s a pretty good intro to how Tree flips the secular to the sacred.
Later, Danny Brown stops by for “NO Faces.” Tree takes a cue from his guest, blending in some clever pimp talk while he preaches. He starts his verse: “Listen, men, they come from mars, women come from Venus/ jet hair long, she got the bomb, ass big as Serena.” Danny doesn’t disappoint, and has “more smack than a tambourine.”
Several times throughout Sunday School 2, Tree says “my birth mark be my only flaw.” His albino soul patch stands out, but dude owns it, making it a strength.
On “TRYNAWIN,” New York marksmen Roc Marciano stops by to throw darts. South By Midwest beats are the perfect backdrop for his subtle tuff talk. He almost sounds like Loso at the end of his verse. Best line: “The truth is hard to swallow like cod liver.”
Creative Control, the production company behind Curren$y and Joey Badas$$ (and probably some other MCs who don’t have dollar signs in their names) should get dude some more shine. His Youtube views say hat he’s slept on.
Hopefully his prayers pay off—his pulpit is turnt up.