Keri Hilson f/ Ne-Yo and Kanye West: "Knock You Down"

Inasmuch that a Kanye rap is only as good as it is embarrassing, a Keri Hilson single is only as good as its synth lines are extravagant and a Ne-Yo cameo is only as good as its inclusion of the phrase “pimp ship” is, um, included, here is an all-time classic. Three strikes, you fucking rule, track. Kanye fishsticks his way through lines like “we can fly off into NASA” and “woe is me, baby this is tragic,” before pinching out what must surely be one of the great fibrous dumps in the history of rapping, “This is bad, real bad / Michael Jackson / Now I’m mad, real mad / Joe Jackson.” Of course, his flashy (not gay) ensemble screams self-awareness, negating or at least “textually complicating” the godawfulness of the actual lyrics. And don’t call it immature, because there’s Hilson’s elegant shoulder draped trillionarily in a letterman’s jacket. Still, “Lemonade was a popular drink, and it still is” © Guru: Kanye’s wackness is coming for you!

Anyway, if Kanye’s verse is a triumph of packaging and self-aggrandizingly awful delivery, let’s say, at the very least, that he’s in good company here. Hilson’s singles signal a pop packaging pro: she wraps herself in synth lines (and…thighs) so luxurious her non-presence is rendered an advantage. The squirrely somethings squirreling beneath her chorus are pop accoutrements of the first order, just as they were on previous single “Energy,” and the symphony of Hilsons cooing the song’s non-message “Sometimes love comes around” are pure yearning, pure tough heartache. There’s not much else to discuss of Hilson’s presence aside from those…thighs, which is strange and sorta appealing considering how hands-on she is with her productions, as if her secret goal was to utilize her thighs as a medium for attention on dope pop tracks. So, enough of the…thighs and more on those synth lines: mostly we’ve just got the big one, three rising notes rendering a plasticized triumphalism to the entire affair, a melodic focal point for each of the billion snares kissed or epic basses thumped. Shit is so sweet it kills my sensitive teeth.

And, yeah, Ne-Yo talks about his pimp ship. Fly high, Ne-Yo! So straight, Kanye! Keep having thighs, Keri!