Danny Brown and JPEGMAFIA’s Scaring the Hoes has served its intended purpose.
By: Aubrey Hoes
photo: AWAL
I do love to see representation of my family name in the media. However, I don’t quite believe dual-artists JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown wrote Scaring the Hoes with a skinny white boy from Maine in mind. What am I saying? Of course they did. Long have I struggled to like Peggy’s music. I really want to. His brain-melting hyper-industrial beats make it hard for one to casually play something like “Rock N Roll is Dead” or a “Curb Stomp” on their way to work. Though, there does exist an inherent quality in JPEG’s music; One cannot deny the gratifying rage that his high-energy production can evoke. Scaring the Hoes escalates things to the next level. This album will make you want to engage in some casual car-bombing.
As a fan of Danny Brown, I thought this project made perfect sense. His unserious demeanor and grating vocals track well with JPEG’s unique style. Together, their synergetic animated performances offer just what listeners wanted. The fury-inducing Scaring the Hoes, unlike many other collaborative rap albums (Pluto x Baby Pluto, looking at you), features the duo working in perfect tandem. However, like the failure of Her Loss, it seems as though this project was a JPEGMAFIA album that simply featured Danny Brown on each track. Brown’s signature soul-inspired boom bap sound was near-nonexistent. I will give the “Pac Blood” artist credit, though, as he’s able to adapt well to JPEG’s rhythm. That being said, Brown has experienced his largest successes as a feature artist, appearing on tracks such as “1 Train” by A$AP Rocky and “Terrorist Threats” by Ab-Soul. Thus, Peggy’s spotlight does not take away from the overall project.
In my opinion, Scaring the Hoes lives up to its name. The fourteen-song tracklist is not appropriate for play over any set of speakers. This is the type of music that would get you kicked out of the party. Yet, this is all by design. Both Brown’s and Peggy’s commitment to repudiating the rap status quo has resulted in a project that is altogether unique. As JPEG sings in the titular “SCARING THE HOES,” “Play something for the bitches/How the fuck you s’posed to make money off this shit?”
Rather than following a narrative, the sonic theme takes precedence. The loose, undeveloped song production lends to the album an unpolished quality. This plays well into the larger concept of the album as the two implicitly fight against the mass production of the music industry. This is not to say that the album is sloppy. Surprisingly, I found that as I listened, it was as if each song was so meticulously crafted that the aforementioned ‘unpolished’ characteristics were intentional. The best way to describe this phenomenon would be ‘overproduction.’ On tracks like “God Loves You,” the spliced gospel sampling underlined by its filthy baseline is interjected by both digital and vocal flourishes, all while filtered through heavy distortion. Coupled with its messy drum beat, one uninitiated listener might be unable to discern the value of this assaulting wall of sound. However, one may also be remiss to say that this is due to lazy production or inexperience. As the album title suggests, this music is not supposed to be pleasing to the ears. Each song was deliberately produced to sound raw–unprocessed. This unfinished characteristic blends with the cold, calculated production to provide a more intimate feel while listening.
I would like to note that if you’re looking for lyrical substance, this album is not for you. Filled with humorous one-liners like “If you’re on your period, call me Moses” or “Off that Casamigos, got her taco drippin off the floor,” one cannot help but laugh at the album’s bizarre subject matter. The delivery, though, is what sells the album. One cannot take Scaring the Hoes too seriously. Danny Brown’s outlandish flow, as seen on tracks like “God Loves you” and “Fentanyl Tester,” balances out JPEG’s aggressive, self-aggrandizing staccato. It’s clear, through the effort that both Brown and JPEG lay on each track, that they are having fun, and this is transmitted well to the audience.
Scaring the Hoes is certainly not for everyone. As a fan of rap music, I was initially put off. However, as I became conditioned, the album grew on me. To listen to this project, one has to first remove all prior expectations. This album, along with the greater ‘noise rap’ scene is unlike anything the average listener has encountered before. To that point, I found this album to be refreshing. Innovative and inspired, the two artists have successfully created a sound that has pushed the boundaries of the rap genre. My favorite tracks on this album were “Steppa Pig,” “Burfict!”, “Shut yo Bitch Ass Up/ Muddy Waters,” “Orange Juice Jones,” and “God Loves You.” That being said, do not play this at the function. Hoes will be scared. Four Reveries out of five.
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