It can be hard to decipher whether Jacquees‘ appeal is authentic, or a byproduct of the warm nostalgic vibes of the late ’90s and early 2000s that his music often hearkens to. If he weren’t such a skillful singer, he probably wouldn’t get away with it, but his decadent voice and lush harmonies can elevate material that might otherwise feel like B-grade Jagged Edge or Pretty Ricky songs. For Jacquees’ latest track “Your Peace,” he teams up with rising Atlanta rap star Lil Baby for a romantic groove, like something Diddy and 112 might have released on Bad Boy around the time of “I Need A Girl.”
The track is sexy and danceable, with a lusty guitar riff popping up steadily around elegant synth piano and heavy drums. Jacquees’s exaggeratedly lascivious vocals are a perfect conduit for this melodic production, underlining its romantic feel. The 2000s-era sound is endearing, and the honey-glazed quality of Jacquees’ voice elevates “Your Peace” above knock-off status. Lil Baby’s raspy country drawl adds an extra vulnerability, and the energy of the track is wholly original. The nostalgia factor is an assist, but it doesn’t carry the whole load.
For as erotic as Jacquees’ music is—this being no exception—it can be easy to ignore the earnest lovey-dovey charm he also uses. “Please don’t make me wait, wait, I’m going out my way, way/ I wouldn’t make you wait, wait, they couldn’t take your place, place,” he sings sweetly on the chorus of “Your Peace.” Even Lil Baby is inspired to get a little tender, rapping lines like, “everything I get, you get a piece,” and “relationship goals on them hoes, Jay and Bey.”
The blissful, late-night funk of “Your Peace” is magnetic, and nicely attuned to Jacquees’ racy style. It feels like it’s cheating a little, in the ways it resembles R&B club records of the past. But Jacquees and Lil Baby’s charismatic performances give off a sense of easygoing fun and real vulnerability, making “Your Peace” their own.
