Saba has always been an artist who takes the quality over quantity route. It’s something of a rarity in hip-hop, but despite almost seven years transpiring since his breakout, CARE FOR ME, the Chicago native has played it slow; A Few Good Things serves as his most recent release. In the time since, Saba continually teased a long-awaited link-up with legendary producer No ID, in the works since 2019 and recrafted after they scrapped their initial collab mixtape entirely. From The Private Collection Of Saba and No ID is now here, and against all odds, it’s entirely worth the wait.
The Sage-Like Influence Of No ID
For rap fans, he likely needs no introduction, but safe to say No ID is pretty undeniable as one of the standard bearers in crafting Chicago hip-hop. It’s thus unsurprising that much of the aesthetics on display in his Private Collection with Saba match that “golden age” time period. Trace that firstly on an instrumental level, where analog production styles often take precedence over matching any modern trappings, like with the stand-up bass and opening monologue at the start of “Stop Playing With Me,” or the horns on “Westside Bound Pt. 4.”
Secondly, No ID coaxes an earnestness and heartfulness from his younger counterpart that recalls some of that period’s everlasting moments (“Be,” “The College Dropout”). The first From The Private Collection track Saba let loose, “head.rap” is a shining example absolutely gorgeous in its hand clap production, group vocals on the hook, and the storytelling chops the Chicago rapper displays. Capitalizing on early adolescent memories centered around his changing hairstyles, all of the reflections he lays down are sunny and “feels-like-you’re-there” lucid, yet his pen doesn’t lose any amount of bite in the process.
Even if those sentimental highlights prove the most cherished pieces of this record, trust and believe that Saba still clears out plenty of space to hit braggadocious notes, and more than anything, prove he can still rap with the best of them.
Saba Flexes Poetic Storytelling Ability On From The Private Collection
Religion is also a constant theme on the project, reaching an apex with “How To Impress God.” Taking umbrage with how one connects with their faith is decidedly not our main goal here, but tackling the subject from the parable perspective Saba does feels refreshing when placed against the more run-of-the-mill “I thank god for what he gave me” fare you’ll find throughout hip-hop. Indeed, the song’s first verse is an apotheosis to that, the creator figure promising that none of what his tangible accomplishments on Earth have earned his vote of confidence, but instead how he’s handled relationships that met the criteria.
Given how much of the musical stylings here are indebted to and informed by the history of Chicago, it’s only fitting that Saba eschews breaking the bank on any A-list features, instead choosing to spotlight Midwest artists in his orbit. Underground polymath Jean Deaux jumps into contention for best verse of the record with her contributions on “30secchop,” spinning biblical references while maintaining the same rhyme for its final leg: “All these glass ceilings, who knows if it’s really bulletproof / Cut just like the carpenter, f*** what you b****** wouldn’t do … But they hated Jesus too, I guess it’s deja vu.”
It also results in arguably the biggest payoff of the record in sealing up From The Private Collection; Saba tasks Smino with the final guest spot in his typical dazzling fashion, bringing back the longtime collaborators who get the chance to victory lap after running much of their early races together.
An Extremely Worthy Entry Into The Chicago Hip-Hop Lineage
With some of the early career highlights that he already turned in (“PROM/KING”) and how long From The Private Collection was in the cask, Saba faced an uphill climb in minting a career best with this latest project. Yet tapping in with No ID and leaving this one to simmer for so long was clearly the correct choice, as it’s among the most laser-focused and no doubt at the top of his list of achievements. We’ll leave it to him to sort out if other forces would agree.
Catch From The Private Collection and all of the Saba catalog wherever you get your music.
