GENA Serve a Feast of Black Musical History on The Pleasure Is Yours
When Karriem Riggins and Liv.e join forces as GENA, the result isn’t a collaboration so much as a command performance. The Pleasure Is Yours moves through Black musical history — Afro-funk, gospel, neo-soul — with the fluency of artists who treat that lineage as a living instrument. This is a record that knows exactly where it comes from and exactly where it’s going, and it makes the trip irresistible.
The Sonic Breakdown
The Production & Mix
The Low-End: The bottom end is the thesis statement. On “Douwannabewithastar,” the pocket is so locked and so deep that the bass and drums feel like a single organism — pocket perfection isn’t hype here, it’s a measurable fact.
The Spatial Dynamics: The mix leaves room for every era it references, letting gospel-tinged harmonies bloom wide while the rhythmic core stays tight and centered. “This Is So Crazy” folds footwork energy into the frame with a fusion so addictive it should come with a warning label.
Standout Performance
The rhythmic chemistry between Riggins’ drum mastery and Liv.e’s melodic instincts is the engine — every groove feels conversational, two virtuosos trading ideas in real time.
Why It’s Certified
For the rhythm-section obsessives: study how this album makes precision feel loose and looseness feel precise. GENA aren’t referencing Afro-funk, gospel, and neo-soul from the outside — they’re commanding those traditions from within, then fusing in footwork like it was always meant to be there. The title says the pleasure is yours. Trust us, they’re right. Certified.