International, Rap

The Box: An Unconventional Approach to Rap

American rapper Roddy Ricch claimed his fame on his fourth single, “The Box.” For a melodic trap song to reach this pace, it would take a lot of effort, but Ricch’s ad-lib filled masterpiece only required TikTok to put it on the #1 spot.

At its peak, “The Box” stayed for 11 weeks without that much of a competition. Its impressive run allowed Ricch to continue his venture to enrich his distinct sound.

Almost 1.5 million TikTok users have used the track in early 2020 on their videos, which also helped the song’s popularity by a ton.

It wasn’t at all Ricch’s best track on his album; in fact, there’s “God’s Eye” that showcased his flexibility as an artist. There’s another contender, “War Baby,” that is very far from what his hit song sounds like.

His “eee err” ad-libs speaks the most on why the song became catchy in the very first place. Couple that with a hard-hitting beat that jives well with Ricch’s melodic rapping, you got yourself a classic hit.

Keefa Black of Atlantic Records revealed that the iconic song was birthed around 6 am. Both him and Ricch never had any sleep while recording the track, which adds another level of amazement that people might feel.

Some might never bat an eye on the chorus despite it being repetitive and dragging, but it is an essential element that made “The Box” what it is today. For what it’s worth, that part acts as an opener for Ricch to deliver a playful verse that is more than enough to complete the track.

At its prime, TikTok users have unraveled different kinds of spin-offs to the song, making it more viral and on the face of many internet surfers.

Even without the help of TikTok, “The Box” will still be able to stand for itself without being overshadowed by his other excellent tracks on his debut album.

By December, his album, Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial, has entered one of Rolling Stone’s most prestigious charts. It stayed on the Top 200 album charts for #1 for an extended period.

Its entanglement with the album has also become one of the reasons why it garnered a lot of sales and play because of its brief placement on the album sequence. Right after the intro, “The Box” would instantly play.

Memes and TikTok aside, “The Box” is a concrete record that delivers what Ricch has thought it needs to do. It combines unique themes and styles into one cohesive chunk that is more than accessible to any listeners.

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