Review: "You Can't Sit With Us" Album by Pivot Gang
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Pivot Gang is a hip-hop collective out of Chicago, led by the rapper Saba. Most people, including myself, discovered Saba through his friendship and collaborations with Chance The Rapper. The songs “Everybody’s Something” and “Angels” come to mind. Aside from Saba, the collective includes Joseph Chilliams, MFn Melo, Squeak, Dam Dam, Frsh Waters, dae dae, Daoud and the late John Walt (RIP). In April, the collective released their debut album titled “You Can’t Sit With Us”.
I knew of the collective but had failed to listen to their previous mixtape “JIMMY”. I consider myself to be a pretty big Saba fan, so when I heard that his collective would be releasing a project, I decided I should check it out.
This album is a treat to those who are fans of conscious, lyrical, backpack rap. Every single verse on the project is lyrical, full of wordplay, witty and creative. There are also a lot of smooth singing vocals throughout the project. Saba does a good job of spreading himself across the album. Since he is the most successful member, it would’ve been very easy for him to accidentally make it more of a Saba project and less of a Pivot Gang project. We get to hear verses from several different members, and I assume that Saba shared the production load.
The project is 13 tracks and 43 minutes long, but it is an easy listen. In the two weeks that the project has been out, I believe I’ve listened to it 10 or more times. There are features from Kari Faux, Smino, Mick Jenkins, Jean Deaux, Femdot, Sylvan LaCue and Benjamin Earl Turner. It is a very cohesive album and it truly does feel like you’re listening to a collective and not just a bunch of random artists. There aren’t really any weak songs on the project. My personal favorites are “Death Row”, “Colbert”, “Clark Kent” and “Jason Statham, Pt. 2”.
This is a project that I see myself listening to throughout the entire summer. Tons of lyrics, a lot of catchy vibes, and several different artists to get acquainted with. I can’t wait to see what this collective does in the future.