DANNY BROWN AND JPEGMAFIA BLOW SHIT UP ON SCARING THE HOES
Danny Brown and JPEGMAFIA are hip-hop’s most evenly matched odd couple. A duo known individually for their signature off-kilter styles, both have cemented themselves as mainstays in the modern indie and alternative rap scenes. With SCARING THE HOES, the pair have come forth with a dizzying collection of songs that feel like an all-out attack on the senses.
At its core, this is a phenomenally produced record. JPEGMAFIA has an ability to forge undeniably hard, speaker-knocking instrumentals that are simultaneously muddled and grimy messes, noisy and experimental soundscapes that support some incredible performances.
Liveliness is the album’s most consistent and infectious strength; both parties attack every instrumental head-on, navigating their way through the frenzied soundscape with a strong sense of control over the chaos. This unholy union feels like a means to embrace that otherness they share, and in doing so, dismiss the sect of mainstream hip-hop that adheres to contemporary conventions and trends. Brown specifically sounds right at home over these oddball beats. Whether cracking jokes about eating ass like Canibus on “Garbage Pale Kids,” or establishing his dominance in hip-hop with the opening lines of “Shut Yo Bitch Ass Up / Muddy Waters,” he is always in his element.
There is an unequivocally raw, almost punk edge to SCARING THE HOES. It’s a celebration of the singular stylings of these two hip-hop heretics — one that rejects any semblance of conformity, leaving it free to be exactly what they want it to be, whatever that is. (AWAL)