Babyfxce E – Can’t Trust

Think of how many times you have heard someone say they have learned not to trust anybody. Usually it comes after a friend collected a loan and disappeared, a business partner changed his story, or somebody you celebrated with turned out to be celebrating against you. In Nigeria we say “show me your friend and I will tell you who you are,” and the title carries that same suspicion with fewer words.

What stands out is how final it sounds. The title does not ask a question or leave room for doubt, it simply states a position. That kind of bluntness is common in Detroit street rap, where caution is treated as a survival skill and not a flaw. It also makes the subject easy to relate to, because everyone has a person or a situation that taught them the same lesson.

There is a quiet sadness in the idea too. Nobody begins life wanting to doubt everyone around them. It builds up from small disappointments, until one day you find yourself checking the motives behind every kind word and every favour. Rap has long been a place where artists say this out loud, since in real life people often keep it to themselves.

It suits the late hour when you are replaying who did what, and anyone who has been burnt by a close person will understand where it comes from.

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