The success of “Yawarakai” isn’t so much in the fact rapper Tamana Ramen sounds sadder or downtrodden, but rather how the music backing her up allows her to play around with the mood. Moving in the same direction as many of her peers in a new Japanese rap community, Tamana Ramen embraces guitar playing better suited to a band wearing all black from, like, 2003, using only light percussion and some vocal samples that trail off to add to the mood. She starts the song by singing, giving this one a more traditional rock vibe, until she pivots into something more explicitly rap midway through. Throughout, she manages a melancholy mood from her sparse sound. Listen above.
