“Better Off” is the first official single by Worcester (MA)/Saint Petersburg (FL) hip-hop artist Jean~Baptiste, who is once again keeping things conscious over an oh-so-smooth soul sample you can ride and vibe to. Throughout the track, Jean~Baptiste provides his listeners with heartfelt lyrics, clever punchlines, in addition to, multiple flow changes and melodies. Most importantly, this track tells a story that many can relate to.

“Better Off” depicts the mental and emotional hardship that a toxic relationship can cause someone. Many are often unsure of what they want regarding companionship. At one point, you may think you’re better off with someone until you realize that you’re better off without them. Jean~Baptiste takes a personal approach and depicts a time in which he fell for someone who he thought was the one when reality, she’s far from it. 

He’s aware that the relationship isn’t going well but blindly denies its deterioration due to denial and familiarity. Throughout the track, you can hear his inner conscious continuously warning him to leave but to no avail. Jean proceeds to ignore his intuition and is rather misled by his irrational fear of being without this person. All signs point to ending it, but he’s become so attached and mentally detached that he is unable to let go despite all the damage that has been done.

In short, this is an experience that many inexperienced lovers go through. You fall hard for someone, invest so much of yourself, ignore the warning signs, and then ultimately, face the repercussions. But no matter what, you are always better off. Throughout the track, you can hear some heavy old school Kanye influence along with many others such as Kendrick Lamar, Lupe Fiasco, J Cole/Dreamville, and Q-Tip to name a few.