H.E.R., Racks | Track Review

H.E.R., fresh off two Grammy wins, drops a surefire bop made for summer with “Racks” featuring rising rapper YBN Cordae. 

Grammy-winning R&B musician H.E.R. has it going TF on. Honestly, so does “Racks,” her hot new single featuring rapper YBN Cordae.  No lead to belabor things, let’s jump right in! The standout record was written by a team of six co-writers, including H.E.R. herself. As fare as the slick, lush production work, that can be attributed to Jeff “Gitty” Gitelman, Flippa, and Jaron Bozeman.  The sound naturally fits urban contemporary sensibilities with its use of synths and slick drum programming.  H.E.R. holds up her end of the deal with incredibly smooth vocals flaunting a beautiful tone.  Overall, her performance is nuanced and well-rounded.

In regard to the structure of “Racks,” it features a straightforward form: verse, pre-chorus, and chorus. The pre-chorus and chorus sections are quite strong. Beginning with the pre-chorus, H.E.R. sings:

“It’s hard to trust the things that we lust

No fallin’ in love, we so out of touch

When no one’s around, who’s holdin’ you down?

It seems like the only thing you know.”

As for the chorus, it’s simple, but catchy and quite effective: “All of your racks and things / All of your racks and things / They don’t relax your pain / Yeah, yeah, yeah.” YBN Cordae provides a nice change of pace contrasting H.E.R. He sounds a bit ‘coarser,’ yet still fits within the chill, relaxed vibes established on “Racks.” Furthermore, YBN Cordae stays on topic within his verse (money, material, love, anti-love, etc.) – that doesn’t happen on every guest rap appearance by any means.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, “Racks” is a bop for sure for H.E.R. Why? It’s because of the beautiful vocals, lush production work, catchy songwriting, and a nice guest verse/contribution from YBN Cordae.  Can you say #Winning!

H.E.R. • Racks (Ft. YBN Cordae) [Single] • RCA • Release: 6.28.19

Photo Credit: RCA