I wasn’t planning on listening to this song or checking the video when the teaser came across my feed. But something about pH-1 never fails me so I was moved to check out the song only a day after release. I’ve been rinsing it ever since. I didn’t even know Woo was on the track until I checked out the song. This was a pleasant surprise because I am also drawn to his music and his voice. Listening to this song even reminded me of how much I like pH-1’s music and I went back to listen to his HALO album. but that’s another conversation.
The song in question is ‘Mr. BAD’ featuring Woo and it was just what I needed in the wake of drowning myself in ATEEZ for almost two weeks. If you heard their recent release (The World ep1: Movement), you know that shit goes hard for most of the 7 songs and there was something relaxing about giving into playing this one. So far, it looks like this is a single released by pH-1 under Higher Music. The hip-hop track was released on Aug 9, 2022, with a video on YouTube.
Once the song started I knew this was gonna be a hit. It had a little bit of pH-1 singing, which I enjoy, as well as his softer style of hip hop — even though, mans dem clearly going on hard in the video. Including Woo, with his much deeper register, was an excellent way to break up the song without changing the general feel of the song. Since both rappers have softer voices, they did well to complement each other.
The lyrics, on the other hand, mans dem seh, “meet me round ah back deh”. There’s something a bit cringy about it, since both rappers have personalities as soft as their voices while lending to the content of the song. Still, I can’t deny that I like when pH-1 goes hard on his songs, there’s something sexy about the man being a touch nasty in his lyrics. Saying “…you know what the two of us can do…” and “…we’ll forget this all tomorrow anyway…” leaves so little to the imagination and makes you want to be the girl in question. The delivery is what is so enthralling. I don’t know what it is, but pH-1 (and Woo), always hooks me with his delivery.
One thing consistent in most, if not all, his songs is that heavy beat. It allows him to do so much with his music while still allowing for immense freedom in the direction of each song. Of course, it’s not the same beat for every song, but you can hear his preferences. The song, for all intents and purposes, goes hard. It can maintain a gentleness both with the R&B elements and pH-1s soft voice.
What can I say about this song other than I enjoy listening to it? If you’re a k-hip hop fan and like this kind of soft, mellow, R&B-infused hip hop, you should check out this song and, honestly, all of pH-1’s catalogue. You won’t be disappointed.