Boston-based Emcee Virgil Bleeds Bitter-sweet Optimism in Jazz-Hop Tune, Belle Noone.
You don’t really hear a lot of rapping over jazz-hop beats these days. It’s almost like the genre is exclusively instrumental, designed as background music that soothes you while you study, work, or just relax (with this compilation published by Chillhop Music as a notable exception).
And that’s why, when I heard the song Belle Noone by Connecticut-based emcee Virgil, I actually stopped & listened.
It really is super refreshing when you do hear an emcee’s lyricism over a jazzy boom-bap track that sounds like it came straight out of New York City’s jazz fusion scene.
Belle Noone’s lyrics bleed optimism & encouragement to keep your head up while simultaneously reminiscing on a bittersweet feeling of love lost.
In the chorus, Virgil sings:
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"Belle Noone, it’s a beautiful day
Sun shining through the clouds of grey
Six months since I’ve seen your face
But your eyes won’t fade away, hey, hey"
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This happens over a soothing selection of jazz chords and a tight percussion track. Don’t bother trying to stop yourself, you’re going to bob your head to this one.
The song takes full advantage of the one thing that makes jazz-hop tunes stand out over lo-fi hip hop songs: the warm & optimistic musical mood.
A great emcee can contrast this with melancholy lyrics like those in Belle Noone to really create something noticeable. The song ends before you even realized it began because you can’t help but pay attention, and that’s what makes Belle Noone so good.
For the music nerds out there, the song’s in the key of C and starts out with a Dm9, shifts to a G7, then makes its way back to C. It’s a classic ii - V - I.
Liked Belle Noone? Check out Virgil on Spotify!