CHICAGO — A lineage of greatness exists within Saba. And it is his family, his creative roots, even the foundation of his great-grandmother’s home, that serves as a source of inspiration in his latest record, “Few Good Things,” released last week. Crafted before and in the midst of the pandemic, the West Side rapper’s new collection of music is something of a sonic epic, traversing the good and bad, the permeating repercussions of memory, change and success in one young man’s life.
Since releasing his critically acclaimed 2018 record “Care For Me,” a lot has changed in Saba’s life. From international tours and music festivals to glowing press (the Chicago Tribune named him the music Chicagoan of the Year in 2018), television appearances and the creation of the John Walt Foundation in memory of his late cousin and Pivot Gang member John Walt, Saba has spent the last five years on a work grind.
“It’s pretty much been nonstop,” admitted Tahj Malik Chandler, who performs as Saba.
Forced to always be “on,” Chandler said he began to lose a bit of himself, or at least his purpose for making music. “Few Good Things,” then, is something of a return to self. Much of that was fueled by the forced pause of the ongoing pandemic which gave him time to think.
“I had so much time thinking (and) kind of detached myself from a lot of things that I really didn’t care about,” Chandler said about the changing nature of success.
Fame changes a person. But success doesn’t necessarily beget more success. The grind can overwhelm one once they’ve tasted the fruits of their labor. It is something Chandler began to understand all too well. To combat this, he took a step back. In addition to moving to Los Angeles (the rapper now splits his time between there and Chicago), he also focused on community-building, whether through family, friends or other artists he has met. In Los Angeles, Chandler has been able to connect to a community of Second City expats who’ve played a big role in his new shift in mindset.
“It reminds you that you’re not the only person trying to do what you’re trying to do,” he said. Vulnerability, whether with his peers, or through therapy (which he recently began) has helped push him forward while staying true to himself.
“The biggest thing is, I feel like I just stopped caring. Like, I think I valued and I wanted so badly to be accepted, and to, you know, have a great career and to be understood by millions of people,” he admitted. “And it’s an unrealistic expectation.”
The lesson, then, was realizing that Saba the artist was enough. Whatever other people may have told him to pursue or to be isn’t the goal. Staying true to his art, his dreams, has worked before. And it will continue to work in the future. Why chase after something unproven to matter in the grand course of his art? Why chase at all?
“And that’s what I’m focused on everyday. Just being comfortable, not content, and still aiming to grow, but comfortable with myself and with my decision-making, with my career, with my music, and knowing that that’s enough,” he said.
It’s also subject matter that he explored on the record. According to Chandler, “Few Good Things” is “a mental update, a mental check-in,” letting people know what he’s thinking about and what concepts have become important to him. What sounds does he most want to hear? Who does he most want to work with? (”Few Good Things” features G Herbo, Smino and Krayzie Bone, among others.) What appeals most to him, and not to other people? Creating what he likes instead of focusing on outside critiques has birthed an even more authentic record than its predecessors.
There is a cohesion to his storytelling, evident in past albums, but even more present on “Few Good Things.” Many of the songs were written years apart but focus on similar themes. In addition to self-assuredness, the record is also permeated with the idea of family. “I feel like I always learned so much from (my) family and the Black household,” Chandler said. “Few Good Things” serves as something of generational dialogue, with moments of conversation about his grandparents interspersed throughout the record. Chandler’s grandfather even appears on the album cover.
“When it comes to navigating our space in the world and our space in career and our traumas and everything like that, (in) working on this album, I realized that this is something that dates back” Chandler said. “My grandparents have experienced a lot of what I’m experiencing on a different level and in a different way. But this story, you know, it still has the same plot, you can still put the same characters in it, and they’ll just be doing different (things).”
To accompany the album, he also worked with director C.T. Robert to craft a short film of the same name. Conceptualization of the film began around the same time as he began working on the record. “I think it allows you to give context to your imagination,” Chandler said about deciding to make a film. Loosely based on his own experiences in Chicago, the film continues to illuminate ideas of generational dialogue about Saba’s reality and the imagined realities of what could have been in his great-grandmother’s home. There’s a trailer now on his YouTube channel and it streams Thursday.
With the record and film now out in the world, Saba feels pure excitement and relief to share this part of his life. “I’ve never (gone) into a rollout this confident and that is all in the preparation,” he added. “I know how much time went into the film, I know how much time went into the mixing and mastering of the album, I know how much time went into the creating and the paperwork and every aspect of it. I know how much time went into it. It’s just gonna be a huge weight off of my chest.”
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