Stay Down (10 Year Anniversary Deluxe)

On this nine-song EP, rising Toronto rapper/singer SAFE recounts a treacherous lifestyle that’s too lucrative to give up. But like a tortured gangster from a John Woo action flick, you get the sense that deep down he knows right from wrong. The mood is nocturnal, full of booming 808 kicks and dark synths, narrated by SAFE’s high register. Stay Down contains heady ruminations on his changing lifestyle and evolving relationships. “Honest” sounds like a phone transcript between SAFE and his girl back home as he enjoys life on tour. On “Way Out”, he confides to his girl that he needs to straighten up and be a better Muslim (“I need to start praying five times a day”). And when it all gets too much, “Siri”, “New Regime” and “Feel” are hedonistic, escapist pictures painted with a deft touch.