HIS HAPPINESS SHALL COME FIRST EVEN THOUGH WE ARE SUFFERING - Backxwash: Review

Backxwash

is a Canadian rapper who has become a critical darling over the past few years for her fusion of industrial and metal aesthetics with religious themes and of course, hip hop. HIS HAPPINESS is the conclusion to a trio of records released over the last three years that see Backxwash reflecting on her own personal history and identity. 

Review by Lav:

Since I first heard Backxwash's 2020 album God Has Nothing To Do With This Leave Him Out Of It I've been enamored with her deeply self-reflective lyricism, intoxicating vocal intensity, and entirely unique combination of sounds and influences. Last years I Lie Here Buried With My Rings And My Dresses absolutely blew me away as she dialed up the intensity even further and I had no reason to expect this record wouldn't do the same. Despite some minor slip-ups here and there the record absolutely lives up to my expectations, both on its own merit and as a conclusion to the wonderful trilogy. 

The record didn't have any singles, so the only form of a teaser you get is the intro track which features a voicemail setting up the religious themes of the record, then it dives straight into VIBANDA. If it wasn't clear what you were getting into before, it will be once you hear the snarling hook about feeling blessed placed in front of a heavenly choir that barely cuts through the crashing metallic percussion. Calling it hellish would be doing a disservice to just how close it is to being holy. 

The sonic highlights continue on the brutal NYAMA which features the lead singer from one of last year's breakout death metal acts Pupil Slicer on the hook. She absolutely kills it with vicious screamed vocals that sound great in front of the descending synth lines and gives the impression of falling straight into hell. Backxwash's lyrics on the opening verse detailing the paranoia she feels leaving the house and the resulting desire to keep queer people strapped hit like a sledgehammer and not just because of her uncompromising delivery. 

By comparison, MULUNGU presents a bit more sonic contrast, pairing an icy synth line and sweeter vocal samples that serve as the hook with crashing distorted drums and dark lyrics. It's a combination I was surprised to hear but one that certainly gets the job done. KUMOTO is probably the most purely rock and metal-inspired song on the album and there are definitely some bands completely outside the purview of rap that I could see using this exact hook. It's also one of the most directly auto-biographical songs on the record and while I know Backxwash is almost always reflecting on herself and her past this song features literal stories of which she's the main character. It's an interesting little diatribe that really makes me wonder what exactly she means by on hook when she calls attention to her own "evil deeds".

Let's talk lyrics because they are arguably just as intense as the sounds on the album. MUZUNGU starts with a brief sample touching on how black people are installed with self-hatred and gets right into a hook where Backxwash ponders what watching the extensive history of atrocities towards black people does to someone. She literally exhausts herself rapping about everything she's seen but can't forget and how it continues to haunt her. In tandem with the continued sample placements, it's a brutal takedown of societally implemented self-hatred. The closing track MUKAZI has the difficult task of bringing this entire series of records to a close, but in my opinion, it absolutely nails it. The instrumental feels much more like something a jazz rapper would use to close a record with sentimental stories on their journey. It has heightened meaning coming from Backxwash and being such a high contrast from the rest of the record. It really does make it feel like this whole series of albums worked both as a catharsis for her and as an opportunity for her to tell her stories, resulting in the betterment of herself and everyone who hears them. It's a beautiful song. 

Not to spoil it before we even get to the end of the review, but ZIGOLO is my favorite song on the record. The instrumental is this crazy combination that's sort of tribal but also has some like power electronics it's a wild mix. The first verse comes from CENSORED Dialogue who turned out a standout feature on Backxwash's last record and does it again here. The closing lyrics of her verse combined with the cutting delivery make for a perfect moment. Sadistik has the difficult job of stepping in-between CD and Backxwash, a tall task for just about anybody. Honestly, they manage to hold their own pretty well all things considered. But when Backxwash crashes into the song for the third verse it kicks into a new gear entirely with one of the best performances I think I've ever heard from her. This song just flat-out rules. 

While I wouldn't say there are any bad songs on the album I can certainly find places to critique. JUJU has a really prominent feature from Ghais Guevara, a rapper I'm only very loosely familiar with. Unfortunately, I think their performance is just okay as they play it pretty straight and alongside the booming busy instrumental and the performances across the rest of the record, they're just outpaced in intensity. The one thing I really like about the song is that each rapper handles their respective hooks separately and has their own interpretation of it. The moment where they trade-off at the end is really satisfying. NFWITI is a bit of an outlier on the record as it's basically just an entire song connected by sequences of short refrains with only a few breaks in between. It starts to feel very routine across the full 4-minute runtime, though I will say hearing the physical exhaustion in Backxwash's voice as she raps is very intoxicating. 

This record is great, it's fantastic. It tackles difficult subject matter without ever feeling taxing or, funny enough, preachy. Almost all of that comes from the word I continue to use to describe Backxwash as an artist, intensity. The lethal combination of her powerful performances and unending musical ambition makes every single second of this record feel like a crack of thunder, right until the moment when it all releases. It's cathartic for both Backxwash and anyone who has accompanied her on this journey and for the second time in as many years I think she delivered one of the best projects you'll hear anywhere in 2022. 9/10

For more great hip hop check out my review of JID's The Forever Story here