Kamaiyah’s "Out the Bottle" Is Named Best New Track
The central theme of Oakland rapper Kamaiyah’s A Good Night in the Ghetto mixtape is hood escapism. This unfolds in two separate narratives: rap as liberation from poverty and, on a smaller scale, roving street-hangouts as momentary freedom. Underneath her breezy delivery lies the harsh reality: when you’re broke and surrounded by crime, the good nights are still hard to come by. Yet, Kamaiyah compartmentalizes, focusing instead on the simple joys of being a 20-year-old alive in the city; the real world comes mostly as an aside to her fun. “Out the Bottle,” a wobbly, party-friendly jam, is some of the most fun she has. It strobes subtly, replicating the thrills of being drunk in public. This is carrying open containers around town and getting belligerent.
Kamaiyah’s indulgent “take it to the head” mentality on “Out the Bottle” plays right into the uncluttered way she writes raps. She never gives away too much. Scenes unfold in fragments. It’s all blurry, neither linear nor spacial. You’re not quite sure what happened because she isn’t. The Bay Area rapper Zay rides shotgun and together they’re a formidable tag-team—his more detailed perspective is a nice touch to this boozy affair, as measured verses slip into a mellower sing-song state. But half “Out the Bottle”’s fun is the simplicity of not knowing, not being a prisoner to details or to memory. Kamaiyah’s verses trail off into gleeful wails (“I just drunk alll niiiiight”). She’s feeling invincible.
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