The Beauty of ‘The Bean Kicked In’ by Zack Fox
By Cade Guerrero
The legendary Twitter comedian Zack Fox is a true anomaly to the rap game. After an appearance on producer Kenny Beats’ (Kenneth Blume) popular YouTube channel, D.O.T.S, or, Don’t Over Think Shit, the Atlanta personality is an overnight sensation in rap culture.
His rapping career first began when the two artist collaborated on the song, Square Up, in which Fox takes to the mic to drop lyrics that expresses his ambition to literally “square up” to authority figures that includes law enforcement, criminals and managerial figures,
Then when the two became tight-knit, they made music history.
Jesus is the One (I Got Depression) was released to the masses. Starting as a joke, leading to a viral sensation hitting all sources of social media. It quickly jumped to the number one spot on Spotify’s U.S. charts. A song that explicitly talks about male genitalia, mental illness and christianity it is a track that one can not help but to burst out in laughter.
“Dude, if you've got a mental illness like, fuckin' turn up,” Fox explains that we are in the midst of a crisis when it comes to mental health in his interview with Genius.
Fox takes an unorthodox approach to music, but it’s with that approach that makes him unique.
(Zack Fox)
After the two tracks met the surface, the public saw it purely as a comedian freestyling over professionally curated beats--which of course it is, but personally as an avid listener of hip-hop, I see it as a beautiful beginning.
It seems as if the public doesn't truly understand Fox’s innate ability to create fluid entertaining lyrics that seem almost effortless. The hit that Fox and Kenny Beats developed was viewed as a joke, a troll job on modern music which the two address here. However, his newest single exceeded my expectations.
A track partnered with underground producer Nedarb (Braden Morgan), the two dropped The Bean Kicked In. A title that explains the body of the song, Fox raps about experiencing the infamous psychoactive drug, “molly” or MDMA.
The track is met with a soothing atmospheric beat, that highlights all of Fox’s adlibs, hyping his wildly ferocious and hilarious lyrics. It’s a track that is crucially fitted for this generation. Along with the song, it is matched with a fitting music video directed by Alex Russell, featuring Fox eating and napping in a Tesla, cruising in auto-pilot. In the background, a beautiful landscape of mountains and wide-open plains.
Fox goes to rap about freeing the nipple, referencing when Rhianna and Janet Jackson both respectfully having their breast exposed. Followed by a clever double entendre of director Jordan Peele’s movie, Get Out. It’s an art expression of drug induced rambling, yet, it speaks to the soul of a generation that thrives on this creativity.
It is a gorgeous movement through song, as we see an artist rap about the literal progression of his narcotic filled journey. Hopefully, Fox can maintain this level of artistry, as well as his high.
You can follow Cade Guerrero on Twitter @LePetitSheriff.
