“This is something old, something new / this is something borrowed, something blue,” Ivy Sole raps on “The Vow.” The Charlotte-raised, Philly-based MC takes that traditional wedding rhyme for a spin on the dance floor, directly referencing her own sound. Sole borrows from boom bap and positions herself as another link in the chain, but at the same time, she brings a fresh approach. Throughout Eden, her debut album, Sole’s flow is meditative before bursting into a sung hook that’s as bright as sunshine.
“The Vow” also lyrically pushes against that rhyme; after all, it’s yet another directive that can be used to keep women submissive by mandating what they can and cannot wear on their wedding day. Sole is young, but she’s already coming to grips with the harsh realities of the world. She sees her friends considering stripping to pay off debts. Others are already getting married while she’s just trying to figure out her place. It’s a question as old as time, and Sole methodically turns it over in her hand, looking at how the light hits it from every angle.
“The Vow” appears on Eden, out now via her Bandcamp.
–Art Levy
