Understatement isn’t necessarily the draw when it comes to either of these two singing hip-hop figures. That said, long-reigning R&B king R. Kelly and Auto-Tuned rappa-cum-sanga Future’s newly surfaced (via Fake Shore Drive) collaboration “Parachute” shows remarkable restraint — and not just because it waits until almost the final seconds to mention “semen.” From Future’s debut album Pluto, due April 17, is a seductively hook-laden come-on, with tensely sparse, percussive electronic backing from producers DJ Pharris and John Blu.
After Kells sings the words “sings a cappella” a cappella, refers to his own indelible catalog (“Go Getta,” 12 Play), and rejoices scatalogically about his recent Adele-like recovery from throat surgery, the “Tony Montana” hitmaker crows his own post-T-Pain come-ons: “You got me wishin’ I speak Spanish / You got me feelin’ real mannish.” Muy macho, perhaps? Quizás, quizás, quizás.
Anyway: The stuttering, multiple entendre chorus over grinding sub-bass ought to soundtrack many a frat party and strip club, and the song’s seemingly obvious prophylactic connotations manage to stay just vague enough until that aforementioned near-song-ending ejaculation. If earworms were one-night stands, “Parachute” would be practicing safe sex in plenty of listeners’ heads, which, well, let’s stop over-thinking this, shall we? (For more on why we’re anticipating Pluto, read our Q&A with Future here.)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=EdHCHnGd18U%3Fversion%3D3
