Album of the Week: JPEGMAFIA x Danny Brown - Scaring The Hoes | 2023 Week 12

After linking up on a few tracks from Brown’s 2019 album uknowhatimsayin¿, we got a taste of seemingly the most logical collaboration in modern hip-hop between Danny Brown and JPEGMAFIA, two of the scene's most enigmatic and interesting artists.

First delighting us with the announcement of their new collaborative LP less than two weeks ago on single amd album opener Lean Beef Patty, the mercifully short wait for SCARING THE HOES is over and damn is the album everything a fan of both artists could want - and more.

Across 14 avant-garde & downright ADD cuts, the pair flex their absurd creativity and collaborative chemistry. JPEGMAFIA’s ever-evolving, chaotic & manic productions are one a whole different level this time, sampling basically anything and everything from video game soundtracks to WWE wrestling promos, huge rock guitar hooks and jazzy horns, but please know this is literally just the tip of the iceberg on a sample-spotters equal dream and nightmare with the amount crammed in there. The best thing is - it all works in a cohesive cacophony on beats that range from atmospheric & hypnotic trap to overblown boom bap, but again, these broad genre descriptors don’t do justice to the pure uniqueness of the production.

Lyrically the record sees the pair at the top of their game too, with Brown’s rapid-fire, higher frequency vocals balanced nicely by Peggy’s slightly less hectic and more bassy delivery while they both spit pop-culture referencing bars that are as off the wall as they are comically thought out and timed. An instant classic, SCARING THE HOES raises the bar for just what experimental, avantgarde yet hook-filled and accessible rap can be, and the world is a better place for it.

JPEGMAFIA x Danny Brown's new album SCARING THE HOES is out now via PEGGY/AWAL

The best of the rest of this week's records:

August Burns Red - Death Below  [SHARPTONE] USA

Metalcore

Caroline Rose - The Art of Forgetting  [New West Records] USA

Indie / Pop

DEBBY FRIDAY - GOOD LUCK [Sub Pop] USA

Pop / Experimental

Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra - Plays Well With Others  [Decca / Universal] USA

Jazz

Lana Del Rey - Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd  [Polydor / Universal] USA

Pop

Lankum - False Lankum [Rough Trade / Remote Control] IRE

Folk

Liturgy - 93696 [Thrill Jockey] USA

Metal / Experimental

Matt Corby - Everything's Fine [Island] AUS

Indie / Pop

Mo'Ju - Oro, Playa, Mata [Mo'Ju] AUS

Soul / Alternative