No Rush: Uncoding Qari's 'No Time To Explain'
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“Like I said, I never said I didn’t want to have love in my life, and music in my life. But I don’t want to have no music in my life, do you understand what I’m saying? I’m putting all this time and effort into music”
So begins Qari’s No Time To Explain project, on the first track “SGALW”. Qari has come along way since he first embarked on a solo career following the rise then dissolution of Hurt Everybody. An enigmatic figure in his music, but No Time To Explain witnesses Qari letting us in, and we start to gain some understanding. At the center is urgency, Qari pushing forward, maintaining his sense of self as his circumstances transform around him. No Time To Explain is Qari painting a picture of the constant thoughts running through his head.
Throughout the project, we get bits and pieces of Qari’s principles and personalities. His come up is one Chicago music fans have been watching, something he touches on in “Rocky Balboa”. As an artist on the rise there’s almost an expectation he enjoy the finer things, but far superseded by obligations as a parent - “I’m stacking moolah for my baby when she grow up / might just buy my BM a mercedes when it’s over / I’m not tryna rent that shit I’d rather be the owner”. His push is to achieve both. “Thickslick” establishes a similar dichotomy, with Qari simultaneously rapping about biking with his “fixie, I ain’t got no brakes” with “gucci handlebars”.
His road has been a long one, and it doesn’t end. Hence, “Just A Loop”. Despite his young age Qari has been putting in work for years now, far from an overnight success. “N*ggas been thinking I’m socrates / shit ain’t’ just fall out the sky for me / I ain’t finished til I’m finished”. The process goes on and on, and successes are incremental. His track “I Can’t Explain It” maybe intentionally references the title of the project, and conveys a similar sense of urgency. “I feel this money coming in I can’t explain it / I heard that thunder come with wind n*gga it’s raining / it was a flood i had to drain it built an ark for all my dogs / manifest it / it’s a blessing”.
The project was exclusively produced by Mulatto and Cangelosi, and the two producers give No Time To Explain some low-key flavor that fits Qari’s style like a glove. The beats have more gravitational pull than some of Qari’s work in the past, grounding his free-flowing lyrics. It’s still classic Qari though, creeping, subtle and mellow. The beats have the inevitability of a clock ticking. For Qari, No Time To Explain sees him at the top of his game. Twisting and turning, his cadence is always morphing. The effect is an extremely fluid project, with each song flowing in and out of each other, words upon words in a dreamy, hazy internal landscape.
On “Harrowing Thoughts”, Qari dives into his mind once again, taking the opportunity to slow down and reflect. “I’m showing you stars / streetlights and luxury cars / in real life girl, it’s all a facade / I can tell when it’s dark it’s just us in the flesh...don’t worry about Carl I’m great / if I can consolidate / these feelings will fall into place”. The rat race cools, if only for a moment.
Qari finally is able to enjoy the present while reflecting on the past. “I’m in my mind / don’t even know what I’m writing about / just know this sounds like my grandmama’s house / memories cherish and ain’t never perish / wait, that’s what I’m writing about / giving you clarity, moments of time / you’re seeing the signs / you know you’re gifted just got to apply.” What’s understood doesn’t require explanation, and Qari doesn’t make No Time To Explain easy to digest. But get through this dense project, and you’ll find that when it comes to navigating life's rush, the urgency, the pressure, anyone can relate.
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