Desiigner - Panda

It's interesting the way the discussion and perception of media changes once its popularity expands further than its target audience. After all, the way we perceive things is largely dependent on how it relates to things we've already encountered. There's an interesting effect in that critical concensus can differ from public perception, not for any pretentious reason, but simply because the two groups are subconciously reacting to where components fit for them, and they differ because the two groups have vastly different backgrounds; the critic in a field will have by necessity, taken in far more media, and may be more liable to recognise cliches or subtle inversions.

In 2016 I've been able to observe the discussion around "Panda" as it has unfolded. Well most of it. There was a time when I could have said 'like most people, I first encountered this when Kanye West sampled it on "The Life Of Pablo", but that's not true anymore. The success of "Panda" has taken such a life of its own that it's dwarfed this initial burst. At the time of writing, "Panda" has 7 times as many plays on Spotify than "Pt. 2". It's fast becoming uncommon knowledge that this is a big factor in "Panda"'s success. I even made a quick graph of it! http://i.imgur.com/HDfx4Ui.png

Not only has the point of access changed, so has the discussion. When "The Life Of Pablo" dropped, a lot of people heard the "Panda" sample and believed it to be a guest verse by Future, myself included. The reality quickly became clear and then it became subject of debate as to how acceptable it is for Desiigner to so blatantly bite from Future, and how intentional it is. A note to that point is that Future is actually from Atlanta, and Desiigner has never been to Atlanta, which makes the hook...interesting.

But again, such is "Panda"'s popularity, it has eclipsed Future's biggest hits. Even though Future had 4 albums & mixtapes hit #1 on the Billboard 200, he's also never cracked the top 40 of US Pop airplay, even as a featured artist. He's certainly a big deal in his field, but a lot of people wouldn't recognise his name or characteristics at all. So the conversation around "Panda" changed once more. If you look at the video on YouTube now, you'll see a combination of people hunting for the best take on the fact that it sounds like the guy in the background (who is actually Desiigner) is making gun noises, and also people who think it's intolerable garbage that isn't music.

Things like this are why you can make a valid claim that popularity can dampen the experience of something. Where the breakout popularity of something extends into an audience for which the reason behind that popularity is understandably lost, and suddenly all conversation is clouded up by those reactions, the reactions to those reactions and so on.

I wouldn't say that's an issue with "Panda" though, because it's hardly some brilliant exercise in subtlety or subversion. It's just a trap banger with an infectious hook which is well aware of it, and it just goes off. I'm constantly enthralled by Desiigner's fast-paced flow in the one and only verse, while there's also something to like about the slightly uncomfortable and in your face way he delivers it; like a low-key MC Ride.

I find myself entertained by the prospect of something left-field like this grasping huge popularity, and it's that popularity that has in my opinion, turned it into part of the defining soundtrack for 2016. Strong 4.