This is the kind of infectious and swaggering nature of belly Jelly by Malak Shalom, which makes you hooked by the first bar. The song wins you immediately with this head-nodding groove that is completely killer- the one that makes you go back to the replay button before it is played. The vocal performance is confident and southern-infused, and it permeates the whole song, which feels ideal when it comes to driving back roads in the summer, with the windows open.
The thing that appeals to me is that Malak, who was Shaurus before he was baptised in water and transformed, directs his multi-ethnicity to the result that is playful and real at the same time. It has a very smooth flow that is energised to the perfect extent without causing the feeling that it has been overdone. The blend is not overlapping or crowded and all the elements get a chance to shine as their moments are properly breathing.
To an artist who has such a solemn spiritual agenda and who perceives himself as an agent of positive change and revolution in the hip-hop industry, there is something genius in his ability to create such a fun and accessible track without losing his values. Malak feels that hip-hop has to be saved and maybe some of the salvation has to do with the ability to remember that music can be happy and serious at the same time.
The show is a representation of proper craftsmanship, the beats are hard but at the same time the show has that spaciousness that makes everything seem effortless. Being the creator of Golden Ticket Records, Malak has a clear vision of the artistic and business aspects of the game, and professionalism manifests itself in the polish in this case.
Revolutionary change can be heavy-handed but “Belly Jelly” shows that it does not need to sound that way. At times it is the matter of making certain infectious grooves with confidence and authenticity and this is precisely what Malak has managed to do in this case. It is a nice banger that leaves an impression, and demonstrates an artist at ease in his own skin and his developing mission.