Pryor Stroud: Bristling like a R&B club jam that’s anxious to break out of the confines of an elevator, “Link Up” takes the avant-funk template pioneered by Kendrick Lamar on To Pimp a Butterfly and leans it back across a smooth, sophisti-pop groove that sounds like it’s slipping out of a passing, barely-cracked-open limousine window. Anderson .Paak‘s scratchy, mannered soul vocal is showcased effectively here, and Knxwledge‘s production conjoins a sequence of backing choral incantations with a heavy-footed, drum-bass thump to form a cohesive backdrop for Paak’s downstage antics. “Don’t hate the groove, ” he sings, “If a bitch wanna choose, gonna shake it loose,” conjuring up some hypothetical reality — or maybe recalling one we’ve known before — wherein certain grooves and genres and musical aesthetics not only engender dislike or indifference, but actual and unequivocal hate, the very same conception of “hate” that abides in juridical phrases hate crime and hate speech. “Link Up”, in this formulation, then booms from the speakers of an underground club that opens it doors to a populace so intent on dancing to this groove that a little hate is far from a successful deterrent. [8/10]
Chris Ingalls: Anderson’s singing is the real gem here, with a grittiness that somehow recalls a bygone era while staying contemporary and relevant. But the oddball production — including an insistent keyboard riff and some awkward, slippery beats — seems to fly in the face of the soulful crooning. Good elements by themselves, but overall, an awkward combination. [6/10]
Morgan Y. Evans: The pinot grigio skit in the video was funny. The girl with the 40 knocking dude out almost made me bite my tongue off while laughing. This song has a laid back and cool vibe like a more stoned early Neptunes or something with more heavy soul influence (think a more dubbed out De La without real rhymes). Cool shit, though wasn’t crazy about all the lyrics. Just super fatigued hearing “bitch” and “nigga” all the time. Otherwise this is pretty rad. Paws shirt for the win. [6/10]
Chad Miller: Feels like a missed opportunity in some areas. While the melody seemed worthy of a proper funk jam, the music just doesn’t live up to it. The melody wasn’t interesting enough to make up for such sparse accompaniment. The song’s still enjoyable, but there’s a lot missing as well. [6/10]
SCORE: 6.50