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Mali Music and Jhené Aiko join forces for the compelling duet, “Contradiction.” The duet originally appeared on Chi-Raq soundtrack. 

Once upon a time, Mali Music was a gospel artist.  Prior to his 2014 R&B album, Mali Is…, Mali Music was known more for his spiritually-driven endeavors.  Nonetheless, Mali Is, as well as his 2017 effort, The Transition of Mali, both have their fair share of spiritual messaging.  Five singles arrived ahead of The Transition of Mali, including “Contradiction,” featuring Jhené Aiko.  

“Contradiction” originally appears from Chi-Raq soundtrack (2015). It’s fittingly reprised on The Transition of Mali.  It opens with guitar in the soulful, R&B tradition. What’s the premise of “Contradiction?” Essentially, two exes address each other on their respective verses.  Mali Music gives his perspective on the first verse, while Jhené Aiko offers the female perspective on the second. In the end, neither is devastated because they’re broken up, but leave the door open to reconciliation.

Mali Music sings with a dash of Jamaican accent on his verse.  He avoids the patois, though:

“We meet again good friend / You see the stars come down to meet you / You look like the last time / Let a new day come and greet you…”

The key portion of his verse arrives after the aforementioned excerpt. He characterizes his ex, as well as his own feelings about the situation.

“Stuck in your ways, stuck in your mind, stuck all the time / When they’re out of the room, especially mine, used to be fine / I swear I was confused, used to be blind / That was a moment in time when I thought of you…”

Aiko delivers the second verse, sounding a bit more dynamic than usual. Like Mali, she gives her perspective on the former fling:

“All in your face, all of the time / Running from everything / Run out of faith, now your are blind / It’s such a shame it’s a / terrible waste, beautiful mind / That was a moment when I thought of you, now I am fine…”

The two join forces on the second chorus and the bridge.  The chorus, as aforementioned, sums up the status and the potential of the relationship between the two.

 “If you say that it’s over, I won’t die… / I’ll just come back for more / We’ll meet again for sure / If you say that’s over, I won’t die.”

Final Thoughts

At first, “Contradiction” comes off a bit clunky. After a couple of listens, the magic is unveiled.  Ultimately, there’s much more to like about this record as opposed to criticizing it. Yet another asset to The Transition of Mali.

Mali Music • The Transition of Mali • RCA • Release: 6.2.17

Photo Credit: RCA