A Moment In The Spotlight: HAPPY 2 BE HERE Album Review
By Carter Fife
On February 28th, New Jersey singer/songwriter Ant Clemons released his debut commercial project Happy 2 Be Here, and with it came eight new tracks showcasing the R&B/hip-hop powerhouse’s talents. This record follows a successful past two years for Clemons, as he gained a significant amount of notoriety and popularity by being featured on the past 3 Kanye West records: 2018’s ye, 2019’s Jesus is King, and the now-scrapped YANDHI. With a powerful falsetto ability and songwriting expertise, he managed to leverage his talent and fame into getting artists like Timbaland, Pharrell, and Ty Dolla $ign to lend their efforts on three respective tracks. Two of those tracks, “Excited” and “4 Letter word”, were two of the four singles released prior to this project’s debut, and now that it is officially out, Ant Clemons has proved that he is here to stay.
Clemons has a very unique way of writing songs, one that does not need two dozen tracks of percussion and instruments, and this becomes apparent very quickly. Almost every track is fairly minimal, with Clemons’ vocals and writing doing most of the leg work. The project’s opening track “Mama I Made It” is a sweet song celebrating his successes that ends with him on the phone with his mom ecstatic about his presence on a Kanye West record. The track itself is co›mposed of a simple guitar track and Clemons’ voice for most of it, before the addition of a subtle string arrangement at the very tail end of the song. This theme continues into the next track with Timbaland, as the track’s composition is made of only Clemons, a guitar, and a drum loop. Tracks like these do a great job of showcasing Clemons vocal chops as well as his melody and songwriting abilities.
“Excited” is an unconventional and more blown-out track featuring Ty Dolla $ign, where Clemons raps and sings over a dreamlike 3/4 track complete with strings and high-pitched staccato piano melody. Ty Dolla $ign doesn’t surprise, for better or for worse, but he and Clemons certainly pair well together. On “Aladdin”, Clemons’ talent are put to the test when faced with an overwhelmingly electric and elaborate Pharrell-produced track. He rises to the occasion, and delivers well-written verses about his quick rise to fame, and the transformation of his hobby into hiss lifestyle.
“Beep” and “Good For You” are predictably written but well executed efforts by Clemons. The former sounds like it could have been a radio hit by Tory Lanez or Kehlani in 2016, and the latter is an acoustic performance as tender as the 5 tracks that preceded it. “Best Friend”, however, is equally melodically and vocally interesting as Clemons sings about a friendship changing due to the presence of romantic interests. He tragically sings in a beautifully composed melody “Who can I run to, when I ain't got no friends?/ Cause I just fucked that up too”. It is a short moment of narrative weakness that lends to showcase Clemons versatility and emotional range. Unfortunately, the record ends with “Pinky Promise”, a commercially saccharine track whose flaws exist in the same category as those heard in “Beep”. While songs like these would be welcome in a project from the average top 50 R&B artist’s record, I would have expected more from a Kanye-collaborator who is dripping with potential.
Happy 2 Be Here is a powerful showcasing of Clemons’ talents and potential, even though the project has its moments of weakness where Clemons perhaps plays it too safe. These moments, however, are more than made up for with the many other tracks overflowing with Clemons’ spotless harmonies and addictive vocal timbre. I look forward to hearing more of Ant Clemons music in the future, and if this record is anything to go by, I could see him become an industry heavyweight before long, whether he chooses to pursue the spotlight like a Weeknd-type figure, or in the shadows like a Matt Martians or a James Fauntleroy-type figure instead.
Favorite Tracks
Mama I Made It
Excited (Feat. Ty Dolla $ign)
Aladdin (Feat. Pharrell Williams)
Rating: 8
Listen to Happy 2 Be Here here:
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