New Music Critique: Kendra Black

For Kendra Black, partying is a scorched- earth endeavor, as on “Rude,” a beat-heavy fist-pumper where she proclaims (without apparent irony) “I’m so rude, I don’t give a fuck about you; me & my crew do what we do!” Her next song, “Air Pack Jet,” has a similar formula (and repeats a sample already featured in “Rude”) and is so unabashedly self-adulating (“I’m so fresh, I’m so rude”) that we can only figure it for a fashion runway free-for-all. Somehow, though, the artist’s own lead vocals are overwhelmed by the opulent EDM-fueled production––and, a vocal guest on “We Got It” brings more passion to the party than Black herself. The production quality alone might make these tracks ripe for film/TV.