Pi'erre

 

Defining an era is almost too big a dream to even fathom. And for the ambitious few that do, how many of them get to say they’ve accomplished such a feat? It’s unclear whether this was in any of Pi’erre Bourne’s goals as a novice FL Studio producer in his youth but in a spectacular turn of events, the multi-talent has managed to do just that. 

Of Bourne’s most notable feats, he produced breakout hits for a few of this generation’s most notable acts, changing the trajectory or music in several ways. A look at Trippie Redd’s debut mixtape liner notes shows Pi’erre in the credits. Without “Poles 1469” and then the behemoth “GUMMO” hip-hop conversations over the last two years about how artists compose themselves in legal --and extralegal-- settings sound drastically different. 

Substantively, on the other hand, what Pi’erre Bourne has done in graphing the line of best fit in Playboi Carti’s brightest moments is among the most important roles in art over the last half century. His architectural position in such a run has etched the composer on a stone tablet next to Rick Rubin, Q-Tip, and Dr. Dre. 

Unmistakable thudding 808s that ripple away gun shots sit prissily in Bourne’s double shoulder holster until they’re struck and barreling through their next victim. Reed organ-sounding chords that billow up into the ether lay in the other holster follow his front-facing bass. Combined they comprise his calling card that his descendants approach in recreating but fail to ever surpass. 

Even if his admirers succeeded in matching his sonics, they’d still fall short of the signature door creaking producer tag that alone could be sold to an artist looking for their next chart-topper. 

 

Somehow though, what completes the thought of Pi’erre Bourne as an auteur is the aesthetic world he’s created. His commitment to the color purple and particularly the tone found on the Mauve Avenger from a 1998 episode of “Hey Arnold!” underlines what separates his style from all others; the eye and ear for specifics. 

This shirt is an homage to him and a reminder that changing the game forever is never out of reach.