Op-Ed: Shedeur Sanders rap debut is anything but “Perfect Timing”

Shedeur Sanders’ new song “Perfect Timing” is a great example of an elite athlete assuming they’ll be elite in everything they do. The truth of the matter is that this concept is almost never true.

Many athletes over the years have dipped their toe in the Rap music pool only to find out their talent does not translate across mediums. Of all the athletes that have done this, none translate as anywhere near as good as what they did in their sport of choice. A few were ‘not awful’. Shaquille O’Neal’s “Shaq Diesel” might be the best overall album considering its level of complexity and the time in which it was released. 

With names like Erick Sermon, Herbie Hancock, and Def Jef that album actually had some industry influences on board. Roy Jones Jr (boxer) might not have an album to tout exactly, but the singles “Can’t Be Touched” and “Ya’ll Must’ve Forgot” are at least two tracks that received some praise without the caveat of it being an “athlete’s song”. More recently, we’ve seen rap contributions from Damian Lillard, Le’Veon Bell, Antonio Brown, Melvin Ingram, Tony Parker (even though it's in French) as well as Shedeur’s father, Deion Sanders have all had contributions to the culture that were not discarded as something beneath the genre. Each and every one of those athletes turned rappers, if only for a time, are all monumentally better than what Shedeur released this week.

The short version is “Perfect Timing” is substantively not good. On any level. From a rap X’s and O’s standpoint, there is nothing redeemable about this song. Matter of fact, calling it a “song” of any kind feels like an abuse of that term. Respect for putting forth the effort and trying a thing, but there is no downside to realizing this is not what you’re meant for or to go back and try again. Any type of writing carries with it an inherent sense that you will be in a habit of revision. The first draft is almost never the draft that is used. Perfect Timing is a great example of going back and trying again. To put this into a tangible context, the song, the tone, the essence, and the execution seem to violate KRS-One’s definition of Hip Hop. Perfect Timing fails to reveal written, linguistic intelligence and it also does nothing to create any sort of movement as explained by KRS-One:

“Hip is to know, it’s a form of intelligence. To be hip is to be updated and relevant. Hop is a form of movement, you can’t just observe a hop, you gotta hop up and do it. Hip and hop is more than music. Hip is the knowledge, hop is the movement. Hip and Hop is an intelligent movement.”

Rap music as a genre has been relevant for exactly 45 years. In that time a number of aspects became paramount over other aspects held in higher regard in other genres. Some of those aspects were lyrical content (what is being said), another was linguistic dexterity (ie the ability to 'spit bars’ regardless of words vs measures vs the beat in question), later we can introduce various poetic devices. Alliteration, consonance, word patterns, the ever popular reinforcing the beat with word choice or as Raekwon of Wu-Tang dubbed it “making love to the beat”. All of these aspects are aspects Shedeur not only missed the bullseye, but he missed the target entirely. One of America’s pastimes in the last 40 years or so, is the idea that every young person with the want to do so can be a rapper, it just takes time and dedication. Ironically, two concepts that Shedeur did not put in before releasing this song. If he had, that sense would come through on the track. Which it most certainly did not.

There is a reason the best rapper of all time and best rapper today are so strongly contested debates. Watch what happens if a few people are discussing Tupac vs Biggie vs Rakim vs Redman vs Wayne and drop “Drake” into that conversation right now, considering the Kendrick/Drake beef over the last two weeks or so. While one does not want to kick a horse when it's down, Drake is not a bad comparison. Both Drake and Shedeur did not ‘live’ the struggle synonymous with most rap music. Both grew up in very affluent surroundings. Both began their lives pursuing one particular area of expertise that was not rap music and decided to participate after being “Well Off”. 

Both seemingly make music they think people will like and in both cases wildly misjudge where they are. The difference is Drake understood he had to reach a certain level of competency before trying to do something with it. Drake also figured out how to cultivate a very specific audience. That audience is intense, but outside Drake’s fandom, the rest of the culture does not take him seriously. An idea Shedeur might want to get familiar with. There are already Prime stans calling this track fire. Insinuating “hater” if you don’t think so. Objectively, those fans don’t understand what they’re listening to. Shedeur might just be getting started but he’s getting started on the wrong foot.

Rap music is and has always been about being authentic and telling a story, with the story being about struggle or overcoming obstacles. The more authentic the artist and message, the more valued it is to the culture. Perfect Timing has neither. There is no coherent message. Nothing that inspires movement per KRS-One’s definition. The authenticity from the performer is not only lacking, it's not sellable. As time evolves, so does the vernacular. While I am willing to accept that some of the lyrics reflect a lingo that is younger than I am, some of this cannot go unchecked.

To be perfectly honest, 2 hours later, I still have no idea what “They told me bust down my AP” even means. If Kendrick Lamar or Jay Z or Black Thought ever dropped a song with lines anyone is unfamiliar with it would be for one of two reasons. One, they are literally inventing the trend as it happens or two, they are speaking over our heads. There is no believable reality where Shedeur Sanders is speaking over us. There are lines that end with Stay Shining, Is Climbing, Stay Grinding. However, each and every word that precedes those ending lines are unnecessary, vague at best or otherwise not good enough. “I went and got that new Maybach, I stay grinding”. If stay grinding is supposed to modify, I went and got that new Maybach… maybe Shedeur should pay more attention in Composition or English Lit class. Grinding suggests ‘work’ but Maybach suggests ‘benefits’. One is not directly related to the other. If anything, Maybach should’ve been married to Stay Shining, not Stay Grinding.

Normally this is the part of the discussion where “rapper”, “Emcee”, or “Lyricist” would be differentiated. However, using Perfect Timing as the only context to go on, Shedeur does not fit any of those. Emcee is the closest one, but that would still be at least moderately disrespectful to Emcees. He’s not a rapper (yet). That would suggest if not demand a mastery of that task in question. The first thing that should jump out to anyone listening to Perfect Timing is the delivery is objectively awful. The delivery plays like an insecure teenager who is trying to come off as ‘cool’. You know the type. 

The words come out about 10-20% slowing and a lower vocal range with a strong sense of “trying” to “sound” cool. Growing up we referred to this as the Barry White effect. That’s exactly what Shedeur’s delivery sounds like. Someone who isn’t sure but is doing what they think will sound appropriate. The problem is his perception and our reality are not close in that regard. If Shedeur fancies himself a lyricist, he should apologize immediately to all of the actual lyricists. There is also no sense of a ‘flow’. An inherent tempo that creates a uniform sound. It does not exist in this song.

“It’s never hot around my jewelry, chase is climbing”? First and foremost, I cannot confirm that this is the actual lyric. However, that is how bad Shedeur is at articulating within his delivery. If that is an accurate lyric, we’ll need Shedeur to explain what “chase is climbing” means. It’s the first part that starts to reveal what Shedeur is not. Is jewelry a physical thing that represents success in rap music? Yes. Do we hear a fair amount about cars, jewelry, money and other indicators of success in rap music? Also yes. Is flexing with monetary gain thought of as a great indicator of anything from an authenticity standpoint or does it indicate a skill of any kind pertinent to the task of rapping? Absolutely not. When Biggie said “put karats in my baby girl’s ear” it wasn’t a flex it was an aspiration. Skill before bling. But in the first four lines of the first verse, he mentions Maybach and jewelry. Short of shining and grinding, that’s the whole first measure.

A line I in particular take exception to is, “These ______ can’t F*** with me, yeah they lying”. Unless he’s referencing some inside information about some inside thing most of us know nothing about, I’m not a fan of what that suggests. Can’t F with you because you’re a Hall of Fame legacy? You’re too rich and they can’t get that close? If they do get that close, there are lineman to (hopefully) protect you? What are we even talking about? Who is “they” that’s “lying”? There are a number of people who cover and have to speak on or about Shedeur. While some people in that room have an axe to grind or are chasing sensationalized headlines, not everyone in that room is. Unless there are actual answers to those questions, that line is simply rap rhetoric gibberish. 

As opposed to the aforementioned Kendrick/Drake beef that is ‘must see’ entertainment, Shedeur is not even close to that level. If I may be so bold, Deion Sanders Jr (or Bucky) has actually put in time and you can see him begin to polish his craft. Deion Sanders Sr has an album and a song that people still reference today (not always within the range of it being ‘good’). While I hate to be the bearer of bad news, not a single Sanders man who has lent himself to a recording studio is in the same continent as Kendrick and many other names we celebrate, lyrically speaking. If Shedeur was trying his hand at layered lyrics or any multiple intenders, someone in his immediate circle needs to wave him off.

The following three lines come off again as more flexing that plays like gibberish. Start off “100k for a signing”. Then “what they pay?” is unnecessary but laid in just so he can say “A ____ gotta remind them”. Why? Why do you need to remind them? If you’re who you say you are, whoever you’re talking about knows darn well what the cost for said signing would be. Then, “In your city, no they had me play every time”. Ok that shouldn’t make sense to anyone. While “play” can have multiple meanings, the line doesn’t make sense with either meaning. In your city it sounds like a question. Which is followed up by “no”, then “had me play every time”. What? Had to play what every time? The lyrics are completely disjointed. Would you ever expect to hear something this stop and go, this unconnected, from names like Big L or Nas or Eminem? Of course not.

The next four lines attempt to tell a story about impressing a young lady and it might be the most coherent stretch in the song, but there are still issues. “Face go pretty” sounds like a neanderthal. There are a number of ways he could’ve gone with that and “face go pretty” has to be the worst option available. He suggests this lady has never seen anyone with this much “motion”. This is the part where the Gen Z/Gen Alpha slang starts to get annoying. First of all, the meaning of the word “motion” is what, 3 months old? The way this stretch plays out, Shedeur suggests that on this date, she decides she’s in love and “needs” him. Andy from 40-year-old virgin talking about bags of sand is more believable romantic hogwash that believing that event went as Shedeur dictated. Then he follows that up with “You know I handle business every time”. Again, that confirms, modifies, refers to absolutely nothing in the song.

In lyrical summation, we have a money flex hook that should be confusing to most people. It's repeated 4 times in a relatively short song. Can’t F with me. I ain’t hit my peak, “I AIN’T TRYING”. Let’s take a moment here. What could possibly be the motivation behind that? I ain’t trying is the last thing an NFL GM wants to hear from a QB prospect. Then the signing flex. The run on the “face go pretty” into a confusing line about playing every time. “I handle business every time”. Ironic since a 4-8 record would suggest, not EVERY time. While that last dig might feel like twisting the knife, this is a sandbox that Shedeur decided he wanted to play in. Rap music is a harsh landscape where the fans are expected to dissect and tear lyrics apart if they are not up to a certain standard. Another idea that should be familiar to Shedeur. The standard.

Music appreciation is subjective. However, there are structures, concepts, flow, pockets, poetic devices and other factors that separate those who know what they’re doing from those that don’t. This is the most evident in Shedeur’s delivery. It’s slow, it's faint, it screams of a lack of confidence, which is interestingly ironic. One of the things Coach Prime says often within the realm of coaching college football and a message Shedeur has heard over and over is “preparation breeds confidence”. Coach Prime will speak of the program’s confidence. The player’s confidence. The coaching staff’s confidence. All of which comes from preparation. They aren’t cocky, they’re confident. And how did they become so? By practicing, doing the same thing over and over so that when gametime comes, they are confident because they did the work. You can listen to Perfect Timing for just the first 10-15 seconds and know right away, Shedeur does not have that confidence because he hasn’t been doing this very long. If he has been doing this a long time, then this song is an even more scathing indictment.

The timing of Perfect Timing (no pun intended) is extremely curious. We as a rap culture have just spent the better part of 10 days reacting to maybe the most entertaining rap beef of all time. While most of the culture did not appreciate J Cole’s apology, we are talking about J Cole, Kendrick Lamar and Drake (while I think Drake is significantly below both Kendrick and J Cole, it works for our purposes here). Kendrick Lamar and J Cole are two of the best lyricists working today. Shedeur and his team thought this was the best time to drop a debut release that is categorically not good. Lyrically or otherwise.

Perfect Timing is not good. On any level. Not overall sound wise. Not structurally. Not lyrically. Not music theory wise. There is nothing beyond the beat itself that has any redeemable qualities. Being brutally honest, the lyrics of Perfect Timing sound like someone asked an AI engine to compile a list of commonly used words or phrases in popular rap songs, then set that list of words or phrases to “shuffle”. The craziest part of this is that there was no one in Shedeur’s circle who listened to this track and had the integrity to tell Shedeur just how bad it was. That includes his father Deion Sanders and his older brother Deion “Bucky” Sanders Jr, both of which are significantly better than Shedeur at this. Bucky on some level has the respect of the culture because he’s been doing it for a while. There has been significant growth in Bucky’s music over time. A process I’m sure he’s still working on. When both Bucky and Shedeur performed as openers at the Lil Wayne “The Show '' concert, neither were impressive, but Bucky exhibited a polish and stage presence Shedeur definitely did not have. Something as simple as mic discipline is lost on Shedeur likely due to inexperience. Perfect Timing feels like Shedeur decided very recently to be a rapper and just released the first thing he tried.

The bottom line is if this is something Shedeur actually wants to excel at, then he has to treat this craft like his football craft. If I brought my 12 year old to Boulder to work out for Coach Prime, he would get laughed off the field because he’s never played football before. While that analogy feels silly, it is essentially what Shedeur just attempted. Shedeur would not be the QB he is today if it wasn’t for the 10 years of work he put in before college. A person doesn’t just wake up one day a skilled rapper, just like someone doesn’t wake up one day a power five QB expected to be drafted high in the NFL. Those ideas do not exist in the same reality. It’s clear by his delivery and execution that rapping is something Shedeur just recently decided to pursue. Could be a sibling rivalry thing, could be something he’s always wanted to pursue.

Objectively, Perfect Timing is not good. In any way, shape, or form. If this is something Shedeur wants to be good at, he needs to spend real hours and days, weeks, and months in the lab working on his craft. Learn how to piece words together effectively and learn to weave a story. Then he can start worrying about what he’s saying and how he’s saying it. No rapper Shedeur respects started the way he just did. It might seem harsh, but Perfect Timing is a case study in “this ain’t it, go back and try again”.