The biggest moments in history have always required the biggest of moves from serious players in music, whether they be rappers, rockstars or everything in between. This is especially true of 2021, and answering the call for soundtracking yet another turning point in the story of pop culture is Conceptz, whose latest release in “Hold This L” might be one of their very best thus far. “Hold This L” sees Conceptz stepping deeper into the format of alternative hip-hop with a more aggressive compositional style I wasn’t expecting to encounter but am very pleased to be hearing just the same.
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Agility is more of a focus in this performance than it had been in previous releases from this act, but it absolutely makes sense to me why. “Hold This L” might not be the first time Conceptz have gotten nimble in the recording studio, but it definitely showcases a side of their aesthetical persona that sounds more than capable of taking on even the most complicated of rhythm structures. Simply put, they’ve grown up a lot in the last few years, and by now, they can record just about anything they see fit depending on the scenario and their schedule.
From a design perspective, efficiency is undeniably the name of the game in “Hold This L,” and I don’t think you have to be the world’s biggest music critic to pick up on the established theme here right out of the gate. After all, Conceptz make no attempt to conceal their intensions compositionally; there’s no room for fat on paper or in practice when it comes down to it. They’ve got priorities as a unit, and from the looks of this latest release they aren’t going to be embracing any part of indulgence anytime in the near future.
I will say that I think Conceptz could have gotten away with using a slightly different equalization scheme for the main version of “Hold This L” (as opposed to the radio and acapella mixes currently out in addition to the regular rendition), but I get why they didn’t do so here. The current setup isn’t a negative one by any means, but instead just the most transparent and basic of those that immediately come to mind – thus, giving us a template-style take on the song leaves open the possibility for remixes and live cuts that would be entirely different in cosmetics and substance.
Hip-hop enthusiasts need to be following Conceptz at the moment, and if you weren’t already doing so before listening to “Hold This L,” I believe that at least one of the three versions of the track currently on record store shelves is going to make a fan out of you in some capacity. “Hold This L” is a muscular, swaggering piece of music that doesn’t ask anything out of us other than a little over three minutes’ worth of time to impress just about anyone within earshot, and regardless of genre, that makes this song a win in my book.
John McCall