hello folks! this week for the weekly review, it’s SCARING THE HOES, the collaborative record between Danny Brown and JPEGMAFIA released in 2023.
Lean Beef Patty is a fun intro here – the nightcore sampling is very very fun, and i like opening the record so preoccupied with internet culture with a track about twitter bullshit, haha. Steppa Pig is a brag track of sorts, some neat moments here. SCARING THE HOES, the title track, is really cool. love the clapping back and forth intro, with the bass and other samples coming in over Danny’s verse, plus the hook being a straightforward play on the scaring the hoes meme (ie: turn off that weird shit music). Garbage Pale Kids is pretty good – the opening of the track calling out folks going commercial without the output is a pretty solid thesis statement to what they get into over the song. the chanting Japanese behind the verses is an interesting effect with Danny and JPEG’s lines layered over – mostly because it acts like a kind of metronome that highlights the differences in their styles of verse. particularly like JPEG’s verse at the opening of Fentanyl Tester, and the ways they blend the Milkshake samples and industrial electronic instrumentals (particularly that style of drumming) here is a very very very good pair to their style and lyrics, big fan. the fucking horns evoking the NFL music on a track named after an underhanded football player is an extremely funny conceit for Burfict! to base itself on. Shut Yo Bitch Ass Up / Muddy Water splits the song fully between Danny and JPEG’s verses – def allows it to be a mellower point on the record, compariatively speaking. i kinda like how much they allow the Michael Jackson sample to rise, volume-wise, in the mix – Danny Brown’s verse, in particular, feels like its fighting for space with the sample. Kingdom Hearts Key, which features a verse from redveil, is neat. i really dig the first part of the track, with JPEGMAFIA’s chorus, of sorts. the bass boosting on the sample for God Loves You really, absolutely kicks ass. the “Damn, Peggy” into the high bass is one of my fav production moments on the record, haha. Run the Jewels is quick and clean. Jack Harlow Combo Meal has a very interesting jazz sample – not at all what im expecting but very cool, and i like how it trails off after both Danny’s verse ends, and JPEG’s lil mini outro in the middle of the song. HOE (Heaven on Earth) is an odd one, for me. the verses handle very different subject matter, and musically it returns to the religious overtones that God Loves You was starting to play with. Where Ya Get Ya Coke From? rounds out the tracklist, a rousing, bass-heavy song that covers a lot of ground in 3 minutes, and its an interesting choice to have it just… end, abruptly, right on the end of the verse.
faves – SCARING THE HOES, God Loves You
dislikes –
yeah had a phenomenal time with this. extremely funny and quick witted, incredibly dense, and a huge variety of subject matter, references, and sampling material. i havent listed to basically any JPEGMAFIA, and this has motivated me to go take a look at his other work for sure.
def feeling my shorter turnarounds for reviews on this record, just in terms of how dense this is, and absolutely a record i will need to keep on some kinda rotation so that i can slowly sink a bit deeper in. looking forward to it!
SCARING THE HOES – 8/10
for the next Weekly Album Review, i’ll be taking a look at Dance on the Blacktop, by Nothing! i’ll be back on Friday, April 26th, with that review and to pick another weekly record, and in the meantime, let me know what album you’d like me to review! (i pool all suggestions in one place, and draw a person, then one pick from that person, so feel free to drop as many as you’d like! if you leave an email or username i’ll contact you when i’ve gotten through all your suggestions.)