What’s so wet about West Philly’s Pink Sweat$? The 27-year-old creamy crooner with the hooky tracks, the gorgeous piercing falsetto, a minimalist approach to orchestration, knows how to play the game.
For the last several years, we – and I mean me, and the tens of millions of streamers who bought with nu-soul ballads such as “Honesty” – have had an obsession over West Philly born and raised R&B-hop balladeer Pink Sweat$. Born Valentine’s Day, Pink has been preaching the gospel of the slow, good groove and deep romantic soul on a series of singles and EPs. On July 17, instead of the long-awaited “Pink Promise” full-length LP, Sweat$ releases “The Prelude” – another EP – on July 17.
After creating a sound and an image purposely against the sexist, misogynistic grain of so much R&B and hip hop (his words) that makes up much of R&B and hip hop, past and present, Pink Sweat$ focused on outside the box concepts such as the hot powder pink sweatsuit, the softer tones, and gentlemanly respectful lyrics filled with love and trepidation.
The even deeper backstory to Pink Sweat$, David Bowden to his parents, is that he has spent a lifetime having dealt with achalasia, a serious medical condition that deteriorates the nerves in one’s esophagus and causes one to throw up multiple times a day. Not only did Sweat$ suffer from the disease, but he also went into a deep depression before he was properly diagnosed and taken care of. Sometimes having a good life be such a precious and rare commodity must make a man sensitive in so many ways. With that, a smoldering hit of his such as “Coke & Henny Pt. 2,” and “Body Ain’t Me,” has more bountiful beauty, earnest respectability, simmering sensuality and coy charm than it does anything boozy or overtly sexual.
Now, based in Los Angeles, the 27-year-old creamy crooner with the hooky tracks, the gorgeous piercing falsetto, a minimalist approach to orchestration (think the acoustic guitar of “Honesty” as a good example), and a dramatic flair for anticipation (hence several EPs such as “Volume 1,” rather than a full album) Pink Sweat$ knows how to play the game. Adding to that feeling of bliss and air of theatricality is that, with his newest single “Not Alright” from his upcoming EP, “The Prelude,” Pink Sweat$ smartly changes the game with a soft-sounding song that carries a big stick – telling his feelings and sounding his frustrations with what it means to be Black in America.
We’ll take the wait for the whole “Pink Promise” book if it means getting deep, emotional chapters and verses such as “The Prelude” from Pink Sweat$ until then.
About Post Author
