Bootie Brown teams with producer Les Lockheart on ‘2 Get 2 U,’ a laid-back single about the lengths men go to get noticed
Longevity in hip-hop can sometimes become an exercise in protecting a legacy. Bootie Brown seems considerably more interested in remaining curious. On ‘2 Get 2 U’, the founding member of The Pharcyde turns that curiosity into a smooth, playful exploration of attraction, pairing decades of experience with production discovered through the emerging talent he continues to champion.
The premise is deliberately uncomplicated. “‘2 Get 2 U’ means to me the various ways men will try to seduce a woman,” Brown explains. Rather than turning that idea into some grand romantic statement, he approaches it with character, humour and the relaxed charisma that has long made his delivery distinctive.
There is a conversational quality to the track, as though we’re watching somebody cycle through the different strategies, performances and small absurdities involved in trying to capture another person’s attention. Seduction becomes less about sweeping romance than the sometimes ridiculous lengths people will go to simply be noticed.
The story behind the production makes ‘2 Get 2 U’ more interesting still. Brown discovered producer Les Lockheart through OrganicBeat Session, his PharcydeTV platform dedicated to showcasing beatmakers. After hearing Lockheart’s production, Brown immediately recognised something he could build upon.
That relationship neatly captures where Brown finds himself creatively. More than three decades after The Pharcyde helped expand alternative hip-hop‘s possibilities with their eccentricity and playfulness, he isn’t treating his experience as a reason to stop looking elsewhere for inspiration. He’s using it to recognise exciting ideas when they appear.
‘2 Get 2 U’ consequently doesn’t feel burdened by history. There are echoes of the personality that made Brown such a recognisable presence in The Pharcyde, but the song isn’t interested in recreating the past. Instead, Lockheart’s production gives him a fresh backdrop for the wit and character that have always sat naturally within his work.
That willingness to keep moving has defined Brown’s wider career, from The Pharcyde to collaborations with Gorillaz, Nubiyan Twist and Africa Express, alongside his ventures across media and fashion. With another run alongside Gorillaz taking him back onto major stages, ‘2 Get 2 U’ finds him simultaneously keeping one ear tuned towards the next generation.
For an artist with more than enough history to spend his time looking backwards, Bootie Brown still sounds far more interested in what he might discover next.
‘2 Get 2 U’ proves that experience and curiosity don’t have to pull in opposite directions. Sometimes the best way to protect a legacy is simply to keep adding to it.
Listen to Bootie Brown ‘2 Get 2 U’
