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Entries We Love: Yah Yah, 'All Bad'

Hometown: Atlanta, Ga.

Pairs well with: Gratitude

Yah Yah's "All Bad" reminds us of how the best is ahead, even when the grind of everyday has us reaching our breaking point. "Cuz I got bills on bills, so much money to make / I got generational curses that I can't break / too much pressure on me, too much I don't wanna change." Yah Yah sits on top of a desk, wearing and surrounded by grounding hues of green. Her smooth vocals are backed behind a soulful, guitar-filled R&B groove, drums that knock and lush synths, locked in by The 442 Band. "I try to tell myself that it ain't all bad," she sings through the chorus.

Just when I thought this entry couldn't get any better, the white telephone begins to ring with, guess, a perfectly timed spam call asking about her vehicle's "extended warranty." Yah Yah responds: "I already got enough bills, I don't need you calling me about ones that don't exist, damn," before diving right back into the groove. Perhaps my favorite part of the entry because I know I can't be the only one who receives at least 10 of those calls a day. Towards the end, rapper KaliPop delivers a playful, melodious verse that drives Yah Yah's melody and message home: "Give your worries up to God, you'll be glad you ain't stop." Amen to that.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Ashley Pointer
Ashley Pointer is a news assistant for NPR Music.
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