Dudley Perkins

A few years ago, when Declaime decided to croon instead of bust rhymes over a Madlib production and call it "Flowers,” the two considered it just a piece of fun that would never see the light of day. The piano-fuelled soul number was released as a seven-inch single and instantly became a favourite across all genres of music —the joke suddenly seemed like a full-length opportunity. A Lil’ Light undoubtedly has beautiful production, as Madlib takes control of the beats for the entire recording, mixing dusty drum loops with slow-paced bass lines to create gorgeous numbers ranging from soulful to downright hip-hop breaks. Declaime doesn’t exactly possess an elegant voice, and most of the time sings off-key and comes across as if he’s freestyling and making up lyrics on the spot, but that’s part of the appeal. This is do-it-yourself soul, created in a bedroom and guaranteed to have been performed under mass amount of weed consumption, but it works. Dudley Perkins, the sandpaper-voiced lyricist, might not be as grand as when Declaime flows on a rap recording, but it’s amazing how quickly you adopt this style and go along for the ride.