I’m one of those people who, whenever I have a new clothing item, I wear it out. Chances are, I’ll be in this new piece whenever you see me. Maybe it’s an addictive personality I have, or I plainly do not have a big enough collection in my closet.

I’m like that with music too.

Whenever I have a strong connection with a song, it never leaves my playlist as my favourite clothes never depart my body. I just liked the Tribe joint on the new Bas album, Milky Way. On the track he features his boss, J.Cole.

It’s this love song, which celebrates their partners, that hasn’t allowed the chance for other tracks on my playlist. The song is my definition of a feel-good Hip Hop joint, the hook is catchy, the beat has sufficient bounce and the rappers are in pocket.

This is Bas’s third album, after his 2016 release Too High to Riot. Singed under Cole’s Dreamville Company, Bas is part of stable of ill new-age emcees led by Cole. He isn’t the best lyricist as J.I.D or Cozz, but Bas can make good music. Feel good music.

The Queens, New York native is in a good place in life and that’s the general feel of the album. It’s celebratory and affectionate. I can’t say there’s great improvement or growth from the previous album. But like his previous work, there are songs with definite replay value. The similarities between the albums is frighteningly palpable.

One of my favourites, Barack Obama Special could fit well on his previous project. The tone of his voice, sounds good on sad, laid back music.

The rapper sounds apprehensive as he has self-introspection on Barack Obama Special, talking about his successes and the challenges he goes through as an artist in the industry, taking care of his family and his boys and all that comes with where he is, in life right now.

His flow is monotonous, which limits him to doing other things with his voice. Also, I get the sense that he’s a bit of a lazy writer or just economical with his bars. But it’s bothersome because you never quite get enough of who he is on his tracks. On Tribe, I think he should’ve spit another verse after Cole.

For a Sudanese young black person, born in Paris, raised in Queens, who was addicted to drugs and now is touring the world from rapping-I expect more colourful stories from him. That’s the growth I felt this album lacked. Gets to a point where it sounds like interlude music. A stronger Bas on the raps and storytelling, could be the equivalent of an Isaiah Rashad.

What Bas did differently in this project though, is his beat selection or just the incorporation of House or up tempo beats on some tracks. Not being a House fan, you can’t begin to imagine my irritation, brought by those few tracks.  I was livid when Spaceships + Rockets came on. I thought someone sneaked in and added shit to my playlist. But annoying as it was, I think Moe Monks and MOma+Guy vocals are killer dope.

His choice of features was spot on. Stablemate Ari Lennox on Icarus was just fresh as the air in the early hours of the morning on the song. A$AP Ferg is killing the features this season, he seems to serve his purpose on every track he’s on and does so on Boca Raton.

The album is a good listen, but I will stop frequently jamming it like I do with wearing my newly found clothing item, when it doesn’t excite anymore. But I will definitely go back to it once in a while.