Jalil
“Smirfathon U.S.A.” (Charlie Rock)

Before Jalil Hutchins’ apprenticeship with Mr. Magic paid off in a major-label deal for his group Whodini, he linked with producer Kenton Nix (“Funky Sensation” and “Heartbeat”) for this one-off solo single. The boogie-funk arrangement is a stripped-down version of his work on singer Cory’s far superior “The Smirf.” (Nix inexplicably credits himself as “Y. Dah.”) According to Jalil, the recording process didn’t go well. “He wanted to dominate so much of it. He was a cat who the industry did wrong, so it was in his heart to do somebody comin’ up wrong,” he reminisced to JayQuan of Tha Foundation. Even as an intentionally lighthearted single, “Smirfathon U.S.A.” is a bit too silly, and Jalil can’t help but audibly laugh when he tries to rhyme about “Papa Smurf.” There were clearly bigger things in store for him.

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