“I wanna be honest with you.”
Miami rap kingpin DJ Khaled‘s unexpected televised proposal to Nicki Minaj on MTV last week was a bit of a shocker, not least because it smacked of bizarre desperation, so it’s refreshing to hear a producer making the most of it. Whether Minaj has taken out a restraining order or actually accepted the offer and is currently sporting the $500,000 ring isn’t clear yet, but Boston-based producer Durkin has transformed the awkward performance into a slippery synth-laced slice of “dream club”.
Khaled’s creepy utterances of “I want you” and “I love you” are repeated over a Brainfeeder-esque beat, drenched in the kind of cloudy 16-bit melancholy we’d expect to hear from Ryan Hemsworth or Friendzone. It’s all a bit sad really, and you end up really feeling for the occasional rapper – who knows, maybe a career as a #sadboy is just around the corner.
Take a listen to the track below, and then have a look at the original clip.