Kirk Knight ft. Joey Bada$$ – “5 Minutes” (Singles Going Steady)

Chris Ingalls: Pro Era label mates Knight and Bada$$ collaborate on a track that’s menacing and dangerous, and waste no time setting a scene of bloody crime (“Lust demon gets hornier and hornier / as the kills get gorier and gorier”). All around, it’s death and gloom — even the sex is deadly. Musically, it’s equally gloomy but not particularly groundbreaking. The rhymes are really where it’s at here. [8/10]

Pryor Stroud: “5 Minutes” is a confrontational, indie-rap cogitation splayed out over a circular, melancholic beat. While Knight’s lyric has a spitfire appeal, and his from-the-hood punditry is insightful and at times enthralling, the hook isn’t strong enough to lodge itself in your subconscious mind, leaving an impression that lasts just about as long as the track’s title suggests. [4/10]

Chad Miller: Starts with some cool intro music. It’s a little bit hard to keep track of a coherent narrative that connects with the darker themes spliced into the song. The flow of the song is pretty good though. [6/10]

SCORE: 6.00