For those who’ve followed Canadian-bred singer-songwriter, Haley Smalls, for the length of her career, she’s likely maintained and kept their adoration with stirring ballads and sincere, honest lyrics. While the honesty comes through clear as a bell on her latest offering, “Bass,” her appearance and sound takes a bit of a departure from past successes.
The attitude is most prominent on the throwback beat, harnessing an 80s sound that is undoubtedly too hard for the radio. Smalls rocks an 80s classic Adidas sweatsuit with shoes to match (no strings in ’em), while belting lyrics MC Lyte and hip hop’s hardest femcees would no doubt endorse.
“You can very clearly hear the classic, 80s, old-school hip-hop influence in ‘Bass’ when you hear it and I really wanted to capture that in the music video so we made it a kind of tribute to Run-DMC with the Adidas tracksuits and the big, fat gold chains,” she said in an official statement. “Run-DMC was one of the most influential acts in hip-hop culture so I thought it would be appropriate as well as fun and nostalgic. There were so many great artists that paved the way for the new generations, so I think bringing back their old styles and sounds while mixing it with something new and modern can be at times a really great way to push forward in music.”
Smalls keeps it lit while canvassing a graffiti-ridden alley, sporting attitude, along with the aforementioned donkey rope, locs and earrings to match.
The beauty of “Bass” is Smalls’ ability to provide a believable tribute to the past while keeping it current with lines that will resonate with any fan of the culture. Case in point:
“Basketball is my favorite sport/ Ain’t nobody do it like 24…,” where she provides a nod to Kobe Bryant who was tragically lost in a helicopter accident at the top of 2020.
“I’m not like a basketball junkie or anything like that. But I definitely watch,” she told rolling out. “You know, I’m from Toronto. So my home team is the Raptors. And obviously, around the time when I wrote the song, it was when Kobe passed away. So I really wanted to kind of stick that Kobe tribute in there as one of the greatest.”
As she glides into 2022 on a high note, Smalls will be releasing her fifth solo project entitled, Until This.
While we anxiously anticipate its arrival, get a taste of “Bass” below.
