Words of wisdom and a piano’s cathartic keys guide our way into the start of Leph Louie’s “Motivated” firmly but humbly, initiating a feel-good energy of looking towards the horizon inside of a mere dozen seconds’ time. Even before Louie has begun rapping, the vibe is warm and inviting, dismissing even the slightest sense of reticence with a progressive melody that only gets stronger as we listen on. Leph Louie has proven to be excellent at building tension in previous releases, but in this performance he’s more focused on bringing us directly into the climax of the track ahead of his very first verse for maximum chills.
The lyrics in “Motivated” are the antithesis of stoic hip-hop commentary; they’re sharp and assertive, blasting us with a message of positivity and inspiration that comes with the right kind of beat to back up the sentiment. For his part, Leph Louie is heavy-handed with the delivery of every word, but not to the degree of sounding removed from the narrative in any way. His soul is rooted in this piece, and you don’t have to see the music video to pick up on his affection for the material by any means.
I would have liked a little less spotlight on the percussive component here solely because the bassline seems more than strong enough to support the groove Louie was looking to create, but it’s such a minor cosmetic issue that it’s not enough to impact the fluidity of the song in any manner. This is a rapper who doesn’t need any kind of heavy backdrop to wield the weight of the world with his verses, and I’d love to hear him explore a more barebones style of arranging in the future simply to experience his linguistic vitality in its purest form.
Leph Louie has been raking in a lot of good karma for his hard work in the studio lately, and if you haven’t already heard “Motivated” yourself, I think one listen will give you an idea as to what all of the critical fuss has been about. “Motivated” is comfort food on a sick day in bed, if not a solid cure for emotional ailment outright, and though it’s not the only instance of Leph Louie sounding like a legit boss in his work, it’s absolutely another bar-raising release that he can add to his discography with immense pride this year.
John McCall