In each generation of music, there are those rare songs propelled to ubiquity by embodying the collective progress of their culture. Roddy Ricch’s “The Box” was the first smash hip-hop song of the 2020s. It was the culmination of a decade that acclimated music listeners to the genre-blending force hip-hop had become.
A Sonic Voyage
Ricch bragged “all my whips are keyless” with the same auto-tuned harmonies rappers like Lil Wayne and Young Thug helped popularize. The infectious groove of “The Box” is predicated on orchestral strings blending with thudding hip-hop 808s. It’s similar to the iconoclastic style on which Kanye West built his legacy.
For more than three minutes, Ricch gave the world a sonic voyage through hip-hop’s evolution. It’s a trip you could dance to, and not even a pandemic could stop the party.
Slow Start to Chart Phenomenon
After a respectable but unimpressive debut at #57 on the Billboard Hot 100 on December 21st, 2019, the song skyrocketed to the top of the charts a month later. By late March, the sound of “The Box” had captivated America for 11 weeks atop the charts.
The success minted the then-21-year-old’s hit as the 26th song in Billboard history to achieve such a feat. “The Box” was a phenomenon in every way. It got celebrity love from Justin Beiber, generated millions of likes on TikTok via memes, and kept chart regulars like The Weeknd and Drake from # 1. And it all started because of Roland.
"Ricch gave the world a voyage through hip-hop’s evolution. It's a trip you could dance to, and not even a pandemic could stop the party."
Enter SRX ORCHESTRA
The grandeur of the song is evident from the first second. Orchestral strings bellow triumphantly before the signature “eeeh-ooh” sound makes its appearance. In a Genius interview, producers 30 Rocc and Datboisqueeze, claim some felt the opening strings were too lush not to be a live orchestra sample.
First, they demonstrably deny that claim. Then, they reveal the strings came from Roland Cloud’s SRX ORCHESTRA plug-in. In fact, it was when 30 Rocc played the SRX instrument that the pair looked at each other and knew they had to continue.
The Right Tools
It doesn’t take long to make history when you have the right instruments at your disposal. Rocc said in a REVOLT interview, he created the sonic backdrop to Apple Music’s 2020 Song of the Year in 15 minutes. Ricch’s Grammy-nominated engineer Chris Dennis was by his side during its recording.
Dennis told REVOLT they completed the hit just as quickly. “‘The Box’ probably took 15 minutes—it was insane,” he revealed. “It was late in the night and we were basically sleeping at the studio on a 12-, 14-, 16-hour session. We did that one around 6 a.m., and he knocked it out fast.”
The Final Transition
Just before the song ends, the production swells into ghostly synths blanketing a pulsating bassline for a grand climax. Larrance “Rance” Dopson and Khirye Tyler added bass and keys to the memorable ending. “On ‘The Box,’ we did the 20-second transitions at the end, and they’re so crazy,” Dopson says. “They sent us files of the music 80-90 percent done and it’s our job to make everything sound expensive.”
"Just before the song ends, the production swells into ghostly synths blanketing a pulsating bassline for a grand climax."
Dopson and Ricch connected at a session during the making of Ricch’s Grammy-nominated Please Excuse Me For Being Anti-Social. The precocious talent impressed Dopson with his song “War Baby” and its “choir of auto-tune.”
Vessel for the Voice
While that session convinced Dopson of Ricch’s talent, we can thank Nipsey Hussle’s spirit for his role in “The Box.” Dopson has production and writing credits on Nipsey Hussle’s Victory Lap as well as his posthumous “What It Feels Like” collab with Jay-Z.
Indeed, he worked diligently on the “The Box” out of respect for LA’s fallen king. “I just wanted to be a vessel and help him because we’d just lost one of my closest brothers, Nipsey,” Dopson shares.
Ricch made history with “The Box” and Roland was there to help.
