Decay

Fatboi Sharif & Steel Tipped Dove

explicit

Released on 21/07/2023 by Backwoodz Studioz
Main artists: Fatboi Sharif Steel Tipped Dove
Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap

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What most may mistake for "stream-of-consciousness," a phrase meant in good faith to describe a system of freewriting, is actually Fatboi Sharif explaining universal truths. On Decay, a record that will serve as his introduction for many rap fans, he sharpens his science-fiction tinged universalism. With each declaration comes explanations, objects frozen in time serving as definitions. The meaning often comes from the listener if they are brave enough to forge through the spectacle.

If a phrase is repeated it must be the hook, or so the traditional rap cadences would have you believe. Not here; the hook is the spectacle. In Sharif's case, it's not anti-traditionalism. The respect for rap's foundations exist at the same time as his stylistic choices, creating density. As if that weren't enough, Steel Tipped Dove's beats trip through leaky basements and faraway lands—often accentuated with a single instrument less sampled than played. The result is both cinematic and off-putting and a perfect foil for Sharif's rhymes.

Perhaps the best part of Decay is the vocal freedom allotted to Sharif. His voice spans multiple tracks as if every voice in his head is given equal weight. Each voice has a different viewpoint: some reasonably list issues, some grant silliness and weightlessness, some are just out there partying, some judge harshly and some are observing without judgment. The listener is caught in the Twilight Zone of Sharif's observational universe. And, Rod Serling-like, sometimes a single voice—a caterwauling expression of free thought—takes over and then the listener knows they are truly one with their surroundings.

The goal of Decay is not to scare you away but to invite you to be scared. Like a shaman in a horror movie, Sharif has seen the monster but has also seen its many sides and facets. He understands that monsters made are different from monsters born, and explaining the difference creates the tension we live for. That's not stream-of-consciousness, it's control—the very definition of a special MC. © Jeff Laughlin/Qobuz

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Decay

Fatboi Sharif

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