That Red In Your Eyes

Lil’ Wayne & Pharrell “Yes”

It’s easy to forgive the mind-blowing awfulness of Lil’ Wayne’s experimentation with rock music when he’s still tossing out incredible hip hop gems like “Yes.”

At this point in time, Wayne seems like the kind of guy who will put his voice on just about any piece of music in proximity of his microphone, so it is increasingly important who is producing his beats. Much of the success on this song comes down to Pharrell Williams, who turns in a churning, menacing track that sounds a bit like an undead version of his arrangement for the Clipse’s hit “Grindin’.” Wayne responds to the evil vibe of the music by cackling demonically and indulging in a slightly creepier variation on his usual puckish persona. Even with Wayne on a roll, Williams holds his own on the mic, subtly autotuning his usually amiable voice into a harsh, cold tone that recalls the dead-eyed, aloof cruelty of Marlo Stanfield from The Wire.

So many artists, including Wayne and Williams, spend a disproportionate amount of their time attempting to create escapist monuments to ego and success, but it’s a very special and potent thing when they are executed as well as “Yes.” The song is incredibly efficient in drawing out the feeling of vicarious thrill that is so essential to a huge number of hip hop classics — it’s hard to imagine anyone listening to this without getting caught up in a fantasy of ultimate confidence and ruthless perfection.

This song may or may not be officially released in the future. Let’s face it, there’s no logic to this guy, so enjoy it now.