070 Shake is a singer, songwriter and rapper from North Bergen, New Jersey, signed to Kanye West’s GOOD Music label since 2016. However, it was not until 2018 that the New Jersey artist, real name Danielle Balbuena, made her first mainstream breakthrough, but she was able to stretch it out across three major artists’ albums, all in quick succession. Of the five albums that came out of West’s Wyoming Sessions, Shake managed to make her presence known on three of them, by dropping off a number of show-stealing choruses. If her haunting Spanish refrain on Pusha T’s “Santeria” wasn’t enough, she also showed up twice on West’s solo album, Ye; once to provide some warmth on “Violent Crimes,” and this was right after she pretty much claimed a monopoly over the soaring, anthemic “Ghost Town.” (And as much as we like to avoid discussing Nasir, she was on that album also, and sure enough, she did quite well with her guest spot there.) While she did little to capitalize on this hype in the moment, she clearly spent more than enough of this time hard at work on her own debut album, Modus Vivendi, a wonderfully futuristic follow-up to 2018’s Glitter EP.
The prevalance of traditionally sung vocals in hip-hop music goes all the way back to artists like Lauryn Hill and Andre 3000, but fast forward up to 2020, and now it seems like just about every “rapper” who blows up prominently sings on their records. From here, the mass fusion of hip-hop and elements from pop and R&B was inevitable, but in some cases it encourages greater creativity from the artists behind it, and some of the most innovative pop we’ve heard in years has come out of it. On Modus Vivendi, 070 Shake proves herself a walking example of this effect. Describing 070 Shake is a rapper feels not just reductive, but plainly inaccurate: her vocal rhythms rarely resemble rap flows, and her ear for melodies is so strong that it becomes the main attraction almost by default. Modus Vivendi is a difficult album to categorize; the combination of production and vocal styles suggests something in between hip-hop, pop, R&B and perhaps even indie influences. It’s not like these genres have never been mixed together before, because they have – very frequently, in fact. But keeping this in mind actually does more to emphasize what is unique about Shake and crew’s approach across this album.
070 Shake proves to be not only distinctive, but versatile as well. Her rich contralto is unmistakable, and lightly seasoned with Auto-Tune for texture, and while this is true of pretty much every song on Modus Vivendi, she does not box herself into one-trick pony status, like so many artists do these days. Plenty of songs here have prominent hip-hop overtones, such as the introspective “Morrow” and minimalistic “Daydreamin,” and these are among the album’s high points. Other songs like “Rocketship” and “Nice to Have” are built on relaxing trap beats and simple yet effective vocal lines, in a way that mirrors but also improves upon the sound dominant in mainstream hip-hop today. Meanwhile, “Under the Moon” and especially “Guilty Conscience” are incredibly effective pop, combining retro elements, like something you might hear on a lost 1980s hit single, with the aggressively futuristic. (Actually, “aggressively futuristic” describes most of the music on this album.) In addition, a rock-like sense of urgency (and distortion) pervades on the brief ballad “Come Around,” and particularly on the album’s apex, “The Pines,” where distorted, cinematic arrangements (including a string section) and haunting, aggressive melodies combine for a final product that seems to be seething with semi-suppressed rage. To round the album out are slow-burning ballads like “Microdosing” and “Terminal B.”
Sonically, Modus Vivendi is alternately sparse and ornate, and sometimes it even feels like both at the same time. Lush synthesizers mix with distorted bass and a wide variety of percussion arrangements, including the absence of any at all. Lyrically, these songs seem to be addressed towards a love interest, in a way that is confrontational but not irrational, and refreshingly honest, if not simple and ambiguous sometimes to a fault. Meanwhile, Shake brings an arresting ear for melodies to the table, and as a vocalist, she demonstrates obvious skills in communicating the emotions in her songs through her voice. There is not a skippable song on this album, and Shake’s genre-blending formula fits right in with the direction that pop, hip-hop and R&B all seem to be headed already. However, this is not to downplay the distinctive style that she showcases on this album. In this case, the final product is more obviously futuristic, to the point where she clearly distinguishes herself stylistically from her peers, while also beating them at their own game. For better or for worse, though, one cannot shake the feeling that Shake’s finest body of work is still ahead of her. If a time traveller had visited me, played me Modus Vivendi, and told me it was made 10 years from now, I would easily believe it; and the crazy thing is, by that time, it is very possible 070 Shake will have already made an even better album. Make no mistake; this is an artist to keep track of for the coming 2020s.
HIGHLIGHTS: The Pines, Morrow, Daydreamin
RATING: 8/10
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