Jan 27, 20211 min read

“Sideways” shows off Elmnt’s deft ability to tell a story in a way that feels so honest and real.

Elmnt – Sideways

A clever mixture of old school and new school hip hop, Elmnt delivers a soulful flow on the thoughtful “Sideways”. His nods to Puff Daddy’s low-key swagger as well as the impeccable rhythm works wonders. Everything here explores the way that the world has come into a weird strange moment, one where people are isolated, where politics are toxic, yet there is a bit of hope that helps pull the song along. The way that he captures the zeitgeist with these incredible insights regarding navigating relationships, seeing the world for what it is feels quite refreshing.

The rhythm has a slick, smooth production to it. Beats and bass feel so polished to perfection and he rides the beat without a problem at all. Jumping from the world at large to one’s own point of view, this inward and outward approach adds to the dexterity of his lyrical might. With bringing both these elements into the narrative he sort of explores that fact that we are not alone, that we are always a part of a much large community. How we treat each other, the isolation and the arm’s length distance is what led to a lot of these much large problems. In a way, we have removed ourselves from responsibility making sure that we can judge everything from afar, from dating to seeing the sheer awfulness of the Trump era, it all comes into play.