JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown — SCARING THE HOES — Album Review
Alternative | Hip-Hop | Rap
Listen on Spotify | Listen on Apple Music
JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown are both Hip-Hop artists that I have enjoyed for a very long time, as both have carved out their own quirky brand of the music genre. It was certainly fair to say that I was just as excited to hear music from JPEGMAFIA as I was towards listening to a rumoured new project from Danny Brown this year.
It seems like some higher power has done fans like myself one better, and brought Hip-Hop’s two biggest weirdos together, under what stands as the most exciting project of 2023.
The first sign of their collaboration, in the form of a teaser track titled “Lean Beef Patty”, had me excited. To see the two artists trading bars together was a collaboration that I never knew I needed so badly until that point. But, come to think of it, it made perfect sense; the two bounced off each other’s energy effortlessly, giving “Lean Beef Patty” the presence of a really fun track.
I initially thought this warped goodness would only come in the form of that one track, but boy, was I wrong. “Lean Beef Patty” was only a small taste of the insanity to come, all boxed in under the brand new album, titled SCARING THE HOES.
JPEGMAFIA puts his glitchy beat-making on full display on this album, which feels like it not only fits in with the rest of his discography, but also serves as a development of sorts upon his signature style. Danny Brown’s input adds that extra level of spice to the album. And as both artists clearly put in the work, SCARING THE HOES feels as much like a Danny Brown album as it does a Peggy one.
The versatility that both the beats and the flows bring on this new album come plentifully. Every new track felt like an exciting curveball that warped my expectations of what would come next on this vibrant and diverse musical journey. It truly feels like one of those projects where the two artists wanted to champion as much as possible. And in my mind, they succeeded.
In terms of narrative, it’s a little tricky to put a pin on any deep concept (if anything, SCARING THE HOES, is likely focused on..well..hoes). However, with fans seeing so much of the two artist’s personalities through their respective performances, the need for a layered story for this album feels kind of null and void.
In terms of enjoyment especially, this album is pretty close to perfect (which I rarely say for an album, even some of the phenomenal ones). However, there is just one glaring issue that is leaving an unscratchable itch for me; the mastering.
Now, the mastering of an album is something I rarely touch upon, for if I’m able to audibly hear most of the elements going on on an album, I’m not normally the one to pay too much mind. However, SCARING THE HOES has a bit of a mastering issue that I simply cannot ignore.
Even on the teaser cuts, the production (as awesome as it is) drowns out a lot of what both artists have to say. I’m all for a distorted instrumental. However, the lyrics are one of the most important thing to be able to hear, and that especially counts for rap albums. In the case of SCARING THE HOES, however, that isn’t the case in a fairly large chunk of the album.
Either I’ve gotten a bit more used to the sound of this album, or they’ve actually made an attempt at fixing this, but on recent listens, I’ve been able to hear the lyrics a little more clearly. However, it still doesn’t feel 100 percent.
But while this issue was at the forefront of my mind for a while, it certainly didn’t stop me from enjoying this otherwise marvellous album, and seeing both JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown go toe-to-toe lyrically, was one of the biggest musical delights of the year so far.
Favourite Tracks: Steppa Pig | Garbage Pale Kids | Shut Yo Bitch Ass Up / Muddy Waters | Kingdom Hearts Key | Where Ya Get Ya Coke From?
PEGGY | AWAL Recordings
