Considered one of the many underrated members of the Karmamob collective, SSJ Daki isn’t shy to try his hand at different songwriting and vocal performance styles. Trap metal, jungle, autotuned rap: he’s a jack of all trades with a lot of presence and energy on the mic. Knowing this, I was obviously interested when he reached out to me in 2023 to work on a track for his upcoming jazz-hop EP, Dog Days.

His request was straightforward: make a beat inspired by OF-era Tyler, The Creator. I mostly stuck to the prompt he gave me and made a laid-back and jazzy beat, with a chord progression and an arrangement like the one on “Sam is Dead”. The woozy Rhodes keys, the understated synth bass line during the verses, the thick brass in the hook: despite the addition of some small synth passages and tonal details that are closer to my usual style of production, this beat was an opportunity for me to capture another producer’s style as accurately and as tastefully as possible. 

Overall, I am satisfied with how this beat turned out. On top of that, the final track, “gameboy”, has become a personal favourite of mine, showcasing Daki’s impeccable flow, compelling lyricism, and love for video game culture.

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