The People's Champ

On his fifth full-length album, 2023s The Peoples Champ, Quinn XCII balances a soulful hip-hop vibe with lyrical pop introspection. Its a combination the Michigan-born singer/rapper (aka Mikael Temrowski) has been exploring since at least 2017s The Story of Us and which he brought to further fruition on 2021s Change of Scenery II. Where that album found him exploring undercurrents of guitar-centric indie rock, The Peoples Champ leans more toward muted hip-hop beats and R&B-inspired melodies. He embraces that sound on the opening "Bartender," a funky anthem about working hard and drinking even harder to self-medicate your worries about failure. Quinn has never shied away from revealing his own personal anxieties in what feels like a good-faith attempt to relate to his audience, and The Peoples Champ is no exception. Its a sentiment he explicitly addresses on the piano and handclap-driven "Being Me," singing "Ive always been told/When youre feelin low, dont let it show/But as Im gettin older/Im lettin go what I used to know." That kind of self-examined philosophy underscores much of the album as Quinn ruminates on feelings of guilt over his success on "Black Porsche," feeling disconnected from his family (and perhaps vice versa) on "FOMO (Dont Do Cool Shit)," and the ironic need to really feel your low moments to truly appreciate your highs on "The Lows." There are hooky tracks on The Peoples Champ, including the organ-accented "Common" featuring Big Sean, the Latin-jazz tinged "Good Either Way" with Adrian Cota, and his uplifting collaboration with AJR "Too Late." ~ Matt Collar

デトロイト出身のシンガー・ソングライターで、ヒップホップやレゲエの影響を反映して独自のまろやかな歌心を聴かせるクインXCII(=92)。作品を重ねるごとに元来のラップ歌唱とメロディーセンスが心地良く融和してきており、こちらの5作目でもイージー・ライフやら昔のカニエやらを連想させるユルい歌い口の魅力は際立っている。同郷のビッグ・ショーンを招いた"Common"があるほか、チェルシー・カトラーとは今回も好相性だ。
bounce (C)轟ひろみ