Saba

Saba And G Herbo Grapple With ‘Survivor’s Guilt’ On Their Riotous New Song

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Finally, after a wait that lasted nearly four years, the music world will receive a new album from Saba next week. The Chicago native is preparing to release his third album, Few Good Things, and so far it stands as a promising follow-up to his 2018 album Care For Me. The rapper has released three singles from the project: “Stop That,” “Fearmonger” with Daoud, and “Come My Way” with Krayzie Bone. Ahead of the release of Few Good Things, Saba returns with the album’s fourth single, “Survivor’s Guilt” with fellow Chicagoan G Herbo.

The duo’s new single is a bass-heavy effort that finds the both of them grappling with their individual survivor’s guilt. Saba fires off lines like, “I’m tryna move better, what’s really eatin’ when you from a food desert? / I see the news letters, can’t listen to them, they be movin’ too careless,” during a pair of verses on the song. To close things out, G Herbo arrives with a verse of his own that gives a glimpse of how he pushed through his past struggles. “Stay on the grind, had to plot for some years,” he raps. “Ain’t have no fear, I weren’t droppin’ no tears.”

The song arrives after Saba unveiled the official tracklist for Few Good Things. The project will offer 14 songs to listeners with guest appearances from 6lack, Smino, Black Thought, Mereba, Foushee, G Herbo, Eryn Allen Kane, Benjamin Earl Turner, Pivot Gang, Cheflee, Daoud, and Day Wave.

You can listen to “Survivor’s Guilt” in the video above.

Few Good Things is due 2/4 via Pivot Gang, LLC. You can pre-save here.

Saba Recruits 6lack, Smino, G Herbo, Black Thought, And More For His Third Album ‘Few Good Things’

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Saba Capitol Hill Block Party 2019
Getty Image

This April marks four years since Saba released his last album, Care For Me. Luckily the Chicago rapper will release his third at the beginning of next month. Called Few Good Things, it’s locked in for a February 4 release date, and so far, he’s shared three singles: “Stop That,” “Fearmonger” with Daoud, and “Come My Way” with Krayzie Bone. With a little over a week left until the album arrives, Saba unveils its full tracklist and artwork.

The cover for Few Good Things depicts a middle-aged man posed in front of a fence with light pink flowers slightly covering parts of his body. As for the tracklist, it includes featurs from 6lack, Smino, G Herbo, Black Thought, Mereba, Foushee, Eryn Allen Kane, Benjamin Earl Turner, Pivot Gang, Cheflee, Daoud, and Day Wave.

You can view the cover art for Few Good Things above and check out its tracklist below.

1. “Free Samples” Feat. Cheflee
2. “One Way Or Every N**** With A Budget”
3. “Survivor’s Guilt” Feat. G Herbo
4. “An Interlude Called ‘Circus’” Feat. Eryn Allen Kane
5. “Fearmonger” Feat. Daoud
6. “Come My Way” Feat. Krayzie Bone
7. “Still” Feat. 6lack & Smino
8. “A Simpler Time” Feat. Mereba
9. “Soldier” Feat. Pivot Gang
10. “If I Had A Dollar” Feat. Benjamin Earl Turner
11. “Stop That”
12. “Make Believe” Feat. Foushee
13. “2012” Feat. Day Wave
14. “Few Good Things” Feat. Black Thought & Eryn Allen Kane

Few Good Things is due 2/4 via Pivot Gang, LLC. You can pre-save here.

Saba Shares The Touching Trailer For ‘Few Good Things: The Short Film’

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Chicago rapper Saba’s third album, Few Good Things, is only a few short weeks away from release, and today, he announced that it would be preceded by a short film of the same name, sharing a minute-long teaser suggesting poignant moments, illuminating storytelling, and lush musical accompaniment. The album was previously supported by two singles, “Stop That” and “Come My Way” featuring Krayzie Bone. Saba will also tour the album in the US beginning in April.

Few Good Things: The Short Film is slated to premiere on January 31 with a follow-up screening on February 1 via the premium social live media platform Moment House. Along with the film debut, journalist Brandon “Jinx” Jenkins will host a live discussion with Saba and the film’s director, C.T. Robert. You can see the premiere times below and purchase tickets here.

In the press release, Saba said of the film, “The concept of Few Good Things is the realization of self after a search for exterior fulfillment. It is the satisfaction and completeness you gain by simply living a life that is yours. ‘Few’ is a small number, but ‘few’ is not lonely. In the face of all adversity, a ‘few good things’ is recognizing and accepting blessings. Few is to count them, one by one – an empty glass is full of air, an empty bank is full of lessons, and an empty heart is full of memories. ‘Few good things’ is to grow comfortable with the empty, and despite that, finding your fullness.”

Watch the trailer for Few Good Things: The Short Film. The album is due February 4 via Pivot Gang, LLC. You can pre-save it here.

LIVESTREAM DATES/TIMES BY TERRITORY
1/31 – 6pm ET – North + South America (East)
1/31 – 6pm PT – North + South America (West)
2/1 – 6pm JST – Asia + Australia + New Zealand
2/1 – 6pm GMT – Europe + UK + Africa

Saba Channels One Of His Childhood Favorites On The Nostalgic ‘Come My Way’ With Krayzie Bone

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Growing up in Chicago, Saba had, as many Midwestern kids did, a fascination with the melodic double-time flow of the five-piece Cleveland rap band Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. Their relative proximity and mid-90s radio dominance would have contributed to that, but also, Saba just seems like exactly the kind of rapper to have rooted out every single example of the genre to absorb and learn from — you can occasionally hear the influence in his flows on projects like Care For Me and Pivot Gang’s You Can’t Sit With Us.

Now, with the release of his third album, Few Good Things, just over the horizon (it drops on February 4 on Saba’s own Pivot Gang imprint), the Windy City MC gets to link up with one of his musical heroes on his latest single from the album. “Come My Way,” produced (as usual) by Daoud and daedaePIVOT, features none other than Bone Thugs member Krayzie Bone, who once won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance with another disciple, Chamillionaire, and recently participated in his band’s Verzuz with Three Six Mafia.

In the press release for the single, Saba said, “When I think back on first discovering Bone Thugs-N-Harmony as a child, it immediately stood out to me as unique. I started paying attention and really learning how to rap from listening to them and trying to recite it. It felt honest and completely true to themselves — authentic in a way that doesn’t come around very often and in a way that will be impossible to recreate. Their mix of melody and rhythms that I had never heard is what connected with me in a way that other music just didn’t. It inspired me to be more creative.”

Meanwhile, the inspiration for the song itself is “nostalgia and growing up, and I think ‘hopeful’ and ‘soulful’ are accurate descriptions of the song… I’m describing many things that are normal on the westside of Chicago so that it plays like just any other day — pretty stagnant but having so much life. ‘We ain’t got no time to relax’ is a harsh reality for so many people experiencing this type of poverty where the focus is on work and survival.”

Listen to Saba’s new single “Come My Way” featuring Krayzie Bone above and check out the dates for his Back Home Tour here.

Few Good Things is due 2/4 via Pivot Gang, LLC. Pre-save here.

Saba Joins Fellow Pivot Gang Members MFnMelo And Squeak On ‘Mood Swing’

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In the wake of the death of Pivot Gang producer/DJ Squeak, the Chicago-based collective is preparing to release the deluxe edition of his and MFnMelo‘s June joint album, En Route. To mark the new release, Melo shared a new single, “Mood Swing,” which features fellow Pivot Gang members Saba, Joseph Chiliams, and Frsh Waters. It also features production by Squeak, Big Goose, and Daedae of Pivot Gang.

En Route‘s deluxe edition will mark the first release from Squeak since he was shot and killed in June this year. It’s set for release on December 9.

Melo remarked on the “weirdness” of promoting a new project while still mourning his late friend — especially a project produced by that friend. “Lately I’ve been having even less things to say,” he wrote on Instagram. “Not too many people get it but shorty did. Which makes this way harder. So understanding. So influential. So missed. This sh*t weird to promote anything right now honestly but I’d be damn if I didn’t follow thru with our plan! Finishing this was some of the hardest sh*t I had to do. But because of your love and belief, I stayed #ForeverEnRoute! You know what time it is bro and they soon will too!”

Listen to MFnMelo and Squeak’s “Mood Swing” featuring Saba above.

Saba Pushes Past His Insecurities In The Commanding Video For ‘Stop That’

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Saba is just a few months away from giving us his first album in almost four years, and its upcoming arrival couldn’t come any faster. The Chicago rapper revealed the upcoming body of work is titled Few Good Things after releasing its presumed lead single, “Fearmonger,” earlier this month. Saba continues the campaign for Few Good Things with its second single, “Stop That.” The new track is a hard-hitting effort that finds the rapper tackling his insecurities and motivating himself to never succumb to them.

In a press release that arrived with the song, Saba spoke about the meaning of the track to him. “I feel like more often than not, we let our own judgement of ourselves knock our confidence off before anyone else even offers any feedback,” he said. “Our own insecurities ring really loudly in our heads, to the point where we make ourselves smaller before giving anyone else the chance to.” He added, “This is something that I feel like I found myself beginning to do over the years. Hiding from the uncomfortable moment. And this song works as my noticing and correcting that.”

In addition to sharing the new song, Saba also revealed that Few Good Things will arrive on February 4, 2022, leaving fans with less than three months to prepare for the project’s release.

You can watch the video for “Stop That” above.

Few Good Things is out 2/4 via Pivot Gang LLC. Pre-order it here.

Saba Announces His Back Home Tour Dates With Enny, Lute, And More

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Saba Tour Photo
Vee Sanders

Chicago rapper Saba didn’t take long after announcing his third album to follow up with the dates for his upcoming world tour in support of the album, the Back Home Tour. The tour will launch in March 2022 in Europe and the UK before coming to the US in April.

Saba’s tour dates in Europe will be supported by a pair of local artists: English rapper/signer Enny, and Dutch-Sudanese R&B singer Gaidaa. When he returns to North America, Saba’s openers will be Dreamville rapper Lute (Saba appears on Lute’s new album Gold Mouf) and the Los Angeles singer Amindi. Tickets will go on sale at 10 am local time on November 12 at sabapivot.com. You can catch Saba onstage before the tour at Day N Vegas this Saturday, November 13.

See below for the full tour dates.

3/1 — Dublin @ Academy
3/3 — Manchester @ Manchester Club Academy*
3/5 — London @ Forum*
3/7 — Birmingham @ Institute 2*
3/9 — Brussels @ Botanique / Orangerie
3/10 — Cologne Luxor
3/11 — Paris @ FVTVR
3/13 — Zurich @ Dynamo
3/14 — Vienna @ Grelle Forelle
3/16 — Milan @ Circolo Magnolia
3/18 — Amsterdam @ Melkweg Main Hall
3/19 — Hamburg @ Gruenspan
3/20 — Berlin @ Yaam
3/22 — Copenhagen @ Amager Bio
3/23 — Oslo @ Parkteateret
3/24 — Stockholm @ Debaser

North America Dates with Lute and Amindi
4/11 — Phoenix @ Van Buren
4/14 — Dallas @ House of Blues
4/15 — Houston @ House of Blues
4/16 — Austin @ Emo’s
4/19 — Orlando @ Celine
4/20 — Atlanta @ Centerstage
4/21 — Charlotte @ Underground
4/22 — Pittsburgh @ Roxian Theatre
4/25 — Brooklyn @ Brooklyn Steel
4/27 — Washington D.C. @ Fillmore
4/28 — Philadelphia @ TLA
4/29 — Boston @ Paradise
5/1 — Toronto @ Phoenix
5/3 — Detroit @ El Club
5/6 — Minneapolis @ First Avenue
5/7 — Lawrence @ Granada
5/9 — Denver @ Cervantes
5/12 — Seattle @ Showbox
5/13 — Portland @ Crystal
5/15 — Vancouver @ Vogue
5/19 — San Francisco @ Regency
5/20 — Santa Cruz @ Catalyst
5/21 — Los Angeles @ Novo

Saba Announces His Third Album, ‘Few Good Things,’ And Confirms It’s ‘Coming Soon’

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Saba Capitol Hill Block Party 2019
Getty Image

Saba has been involved in some quality projects over his career, including his first two albums, 2016’s Bucket List Project and 2018’s Care For Me. He also spearheaded Pivot Gang’s 2019 compilation You Can’t Sit With Us. However, for the past couple of years, Saba’s releases have been scarce, having delivered just a few singles since his last album. Thankfully, that’s about to change. On Wednesday he officially announced his third album, Few Good Things, is “coming soon,” and he showed his gratitude to his supporters in a string of tweets.

“Thank you to everyone who waited,” he wrote. “I can’t believe I’m writing this right now but i’m ready. With everything going on, it gets hard to take your time. It’s something I find valuable in my own art. But y’all have grown with me through years of this sh*t now. And I’m extremely grateful.”

He added, “I’ve both lost so much and gained so much since the last go round. These last few years have been eternities for me. This next one is special to me. If you’ve ever been a supporter of me and Pivot in anyway, RT my next tweet.” In the following next post, Saba announced the album and promised a new single would arrive on Thursday.

This comes after Pivot Gang producer Squeak was shot and killed back in August. Squeak produced a number of songs for Saba and other Pivot Gang members prior to his tragic death.

Lute’s Long-Awaited Album ‘Gold Mouf’ Features JID, Little Brother, Saba And More

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Dreamville fans have been waiting for Lute’s album Gold Mouf for a longer time than originally anticipated after a global pandemic set back its release last year. In February of 2020, Lute started the hype train rolling with his “GED” video and a related web series, only to see the entire music industry shut down as a result of COVID-19 safety protocols. In the meantime, though, he collected his platinum plaques from the Revenge Of The Dreamers III compilation.

Now, though, the industry is once again humming, venues across the nation have reopened, and Lute finally has a release date for Gold Mouf, the follow-up to his well-received 2017 debut album West1996 Pt. 2: October 4. Today, he revealed the release date and the feature-filled tracklist, which contains nods to both his Dreamville family and his North Carolina roots. Fellow Dreamvillians Ari Lennox, Cozz, and JID appear on three separate tracks, while out-of-town assistance comes in the form of features from BJ The Chicago Kid, Blakk Soul, Devn, Saba, and Westside Boogie.

But North Carolina natives and fans of the sort of soulful throwback hip-hop embodied by much of Dreamville’s roster will likely be most excited to see the pioneering rap group Little Brother included. Considered inspirations to many of today’s top rappers, including Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and Dreamville’s own J. Cole, the NC-based Little Brother eventually spawned the Grammy-winning efforts of former producer/DJ 9th Wonder and the multi-talented, do-it-all industry expanse of Phonte Coleman. Little Brother recently reunited as a duo featuring Phonte and Big Pooh with the blessing of 9th Wonder, making the occasion one to be truly excited for.

Gold Mouf is due 10/4 via Dreamville. Check out the tracklist below.

Pivot Gang Producer Squeak Has Reportedly Died At The Age Of 26

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MFNMelo and Squeak (front)
Michael Salisbury

Chicago indie rap crew Pivot Gang mourns the loss of their producer and friend Squeak, who has died of as-yet-unknown causes at 26, as confirmed by Pitchfork through the group’s representative. Squeak was one of the group’s three producers along with Daedae and Daoud, crafting beats for the group’s first group album You Can’t Sit With Us in 2019, as well as for its individual members Frsh Waters, Joseph Chilliams, MFnMelo, and Saba. Most recently, he and MFnMelo released En Route, an eight-song EP featuring Rexx Life Raj, in June.

Squeak also doubled as DJ for the group’s live shows, including their 2019 John Walt Day concert in Chicago in honor of another of the group’s fallen members who was killed in February of 2017. Squeak also engineered for the group, recording the offerings that allowed them to go from an upstart crew of rap freshmen at the tail end of the blog era to a fixture of Chicago’s flourishing rap scene.

Squeak’s passing drew a wave of appreciative and sorrowful tweets from that scene, as well as many from outside it, as friends, fans, and peers mourned his loss. Among the well-wishers was Chance The Rapper, who came up alongside Pivot member Saba in a student creative group in high school and recorded with him on his 2016 mixtape Coloring Book. Rest in peace, Squeak. You’ll be missed.