Over the years I’ve found hip-hop and its premier scenes to be at their best when managed by melody-makers over poetic virtuosos exclusively, and when I turn up a stone cold number like “Rotation” from Legaxy and Tory Lanez, the truth behind this notion is absolutely undisputable. There are a lot of ways to get into a slow jam, and with the confidence both of these cats are bringing to the table, it’s easy to see where a track like this one wouldn’t have to be particularly elaborate to win favor with critics and fans the same. That being said, this is a treasure of a tune for one main reason – its melodic substance goes miles above what the status quo calls for in modern pop.

Website: https://www.iamlegaxy.com/

Let’s start with the beat in “Rotation.” Though not completely lost in the misty haze that surrounds the sharp vocal contributions from Legaxy and Tory Lanez, the percussion and the bassline form a clandestine bottom-end just the same. These two rappers actually do a good job of forming a bad little groove with their lyrical dueling all on their own, thus rendering any need for additional foundation in this song essentially pointless.

This bass part is spaced away from the vocal just enough to create some depth on the lower half of the mix without being solely responsible for the chills-factor, which is important for the kind of structure that Legaxy went with in the chorus of “Rotation.” You don’t have to be a professional critic to recognize how seriously this guy takes his music, and most important of all, how much of an honest, personal investment he has in the catharsis that comes to us on the other side of most any hook he stamps his name on. That’s not as common as it should be in this business, and an artist of his caliber would likely be the first person to agree.

If you’ve been as hungry for a hot slow jam crossover as I have been in these first couple of months in 2021, Legaxy and Tory Lanez’s “Rotation” is a godsend without dispute. Comprised of ace vocals and a sleek but not completely transparent instrumental backdrop, “Rotation” is a glimpse into the creative wonderment that its lead artist has just started to cultivate for himself, and all the more evidence of its feature’s true place in the hierarchy of contemporarily elite rappers.

John McCall