Chicago based rapper/producer Saba has delivered his long awaited third studio album ‘Few Good Things’. It sits at a sonic and thematic crossroads – infused with grit and lush melodies and exploring grief, doubt, and triumph. Saba sat down with Bri Kennedy on Monday Arvos this week to chat about his artistic process, the record, and the beautiful short film that accompanies it.

‘Few Good Things” speaks to where Saba is in 2022. He has released three albums and is reaping the rewards of a successful musical career. He’s also learnt to not take everything at face value, and this questioning is a major theme of the record. Bri asked Saba about the relationship between his growth and his sound.

“Even my mixtapes like ‘Comfort Zone’ and things like that, there are still elements of transparency and vulnerability, I was 18 when I made that. It’s something that is just in the music… ‘Few Good Things’ while it does sound very sonically different… I’m still me.”

 “I think there are elements throughout all of my projects, ‘Pivot Gang’ or ‘Bucket List’ or ‘ Care For Me’ or ‘Few Good Things’ I’m still being shown throughout all of them.”

A short film of the same name was released alongside the album ‘Few Good Things’. The two works are part of one whole. Saba describes them as a cohesive duo of works and explained how elements of the film compliment the album and vice versa.

“The best thing that I can say we did decision wise was we started both at the same time. It made it really easy for them to be cohesive. Decisions were able to be made about the film in response to decisions that we made about the album.”

The pandemic has seen huge creative output by artists, and Saba’s latest record is a shining example. He spoke of the state of the world in his home of Chicago and abroad has seen artists go back to the basics of creating.

“It’s happening in Chicago, but it’s happening in a lot of musical hubs. Creatives are ready… We were all off at the same time, everybody is just ready, everybody has been working and tapping into their core values that made them start in the first place… The pandemic hit and you’re back to square one almost, where it’s just you and your thoughts.”

‘Few Good Things’ is an introspective album that sees Saba explore a parasocial relationship between himself and his audience. With Bri, he reflected on the process of creating the album and how he thought his audience would perceive it.

“When you’re tapped in and in tune with your creative process you just trust yourself. That’s the same type of trust I want to build with my fanbase, where they trust me to deliver something dope, whether they understand it or not.”

“It’s a weird relationship where my fans know everything about me and I don’t know anything about them. The moments where I’m learning things about them is when It feels the best”

For more on Saba, you can stream ‘Few Good Things’ below, and listen back to his interview with Bri up top.