Tomorrow, producer extraordinaire Calvin Harris will release his new album, Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1. Every track we’ve heard off of it thus far has been an absolute heater, a definite song of the summer contender, a masterclass in shuffling pop stars and rappers around to form pristine pop collaborations. First there was “Slide,” an effortlessly breezy cut featuring the ever-ascendent Migos and the usually reclusive genius Frank Ocean. Then “Heatstroke” made Young Thug, Ariana Grande, and Pharrell into the dream team we never knew we needed. “Rollin” somehow rendered Khalid and Future’s very different voices compatible. And finally, “Feels” tacked a stellar Big Sean verse onto the end of a Pharrell/Katy Perry pop jam.
Before we get the remaining seven tracks in a matter of hours, MERRY JANE is giving you an early, exclusive chance to hear our man Snoop Dogg murk his guest verse on album cut “Holiday.” The song, which also features John Legend and Migos’ Takeoff, will be available in full form tomorrow, but for now, here’s Snoop’s 41 seconds in the spotlight.
The Doggfather’s in full-on romantic mode, inquiring about his girl’s bath water, bills, dinner reservations, hair, and nails and then assuring her that whatever the task, “I can have it done for ya.” It’s not quite the soulful croon he wore so well on 2015’s Bush, but it’s close, far cry from the battle-tested MC we recently heard on Neva Left, and who gave us guest verses on Big Boi and Young Thug’s new albums.
As for Harris, he clearly knows how to equip a West Coast MC, gifting Snoop the sort of chunky bassline that G-Funk originators lifted from the likes of Herbie Hancock, but updating it for 2017 with the addition of some lush keyboard tones. All we can say is that we can’t wait to hear what Mr. Legend and Takeoff do with this beat.
Pre-order Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 here.
