by NxWorries
Released October 21, 2016 via Stones Throw Records
Reviewed October 15, 2021
Top tracks (based on community voting)
Suede (37%), What More Can I Say (34%), Get Bigger / Do U Luv (32%)
The most investigative hip-hop listener may have known of Knxwledge via production credits for artists like Blu, Quelle Chris, and Joey Bada$$. But it wasn’t until his 2016 collaborative project with Anderson .Paak, Yes Lawd!, that the producer’s mark was universally recognized in the genre. The two artists were on a crash course as far as timing goes, with Anderson .Paak’s first studio album, Venice, and Knxwledge’s biggest production credit on “Momma,” by Kendrick Lamar, releasing within five months of each other. A large part of Knxwledge’s prolific showing on Yes Lawd! was thanks to .Paak’s enigmatic performances scattered across the album, as their styles complemented one another perfectly. .Paak’s vibrant, commanding vocals glide effortlessly over Knx’s clunky, soulful beats. The outcome is a supremely listenable project, each song feeling like a potential hit with a personal punch. This combination is wholly cool and resonates with the listener the way finding out about a great artist before anyone else does. The duo’s delivery is debonair and mostly unbothered, but the content of the lyrics and samples is that of a modern relationship: Strained and passionate, silly but consequential. Overall, this project is criminally underrated in .Paak’s discography, and a great point of reference for how elite Knxwledge is at worldbuilding and setting the stage on any given appearance. – Pax (9.7/10)
Yes Lawd! is a jovial expression of Anderson .Paak’s fiery spirit as much as a repeated catchphrase that this collaboration with mystical producer Knxwledge gets its namesake. The group name that represents the L.A. duo responsible for this classic— NxWorries—is similarly symbolic in nature, alluding to their leisurely connection as artists. Chemistry is important in any working relationship, and NxWorries is a closed circuit of creative brilliance. The fusion of vocalist and beatmaker comes across so naturally, largely due to the complementary styles at hand. Anderson. Paak is a show stopping lead, whose cheshire grin and bright voice illuminates every word he speaks. Knxwledge, a tireless producer, is known to concoct unique sounds with nuanced selection and sample application. Paak’s vocals provide instant and timeless satisfaction for the listener, while the understated variance in Knxwledge’s beats allow for repeated listens with compounding returns. Here’s to hoping this thunder-and-lightning duo will strike again in the future. – DeVán (9.5/10)
Yes Lawd! resonates entirely, due in large part to two artists being supremely in sync. NxWorries is entirely their own entity, without compromising the individual aspects that make them so enamoring. Anderson .Paak and Knxwledge sound as if they’re from the same town, only raised on different streets; the result is an incredibly soulful and innately rich experience, while still residing under the umbrella of Knxwledge’s signature lo-fi approach. The duo delivers hit after hit, exploring the disingenuous nature of those around them, the lows and highs of what a relationship can be, while intertwining infidelity as the downfall for most love affairs. Despite the subject matter striking a very real nerve, Yes Lawd!’s effervescent charisma, Knxwledge’s prolific run of perfect instrumentals, and .Paak’s ability to make the dirty truth sound so clean relentlessly insist the need to bust a move. Yes Lawd! is a eureka sort of moment; one that reminds the listener how lucky they are for this kind of musical comradery. – Ben (Synth) (8.5/10)
Pax: 9.7/10 | DeVán: 9.5/10 | Hadley: 9.5/10 | Pablo: 9/10 | Ben (Synth): 8.5/10
Jared: 8.5/10 | Dominick: 8.2/10 | Daniel: 8/10 | Cam: 7.8/10
