After last year’s Hater of the Year, a collection of Silkky Johnson’s instrumentals for Main Attrakionz, Western Tink, and others, the producer set out to “make a project that’s more fun to listen to than a traditional beat tape.” The result is Debauched Legend, which he describes as “a psychedelic rap album,” a purposeful hip-hop oddity: “I wanted it to sound like something you might find in a bargain bin and have no idea when it’s from or who made it.”
There is definitely a “where’d this come from?” hot mess quality to Debauched Legend. Beats are loaded up with noisy effects and car stereo-ready bass, and a multitude of rap personalities make appearances, from Internet star A$AP Rocky to Tumblr-ready types like Khalil Nova and Metro Zu, and even art-damaged Spanish-language rappers like High Kiks and Himself the Majestic, and Japanese MC, Sneeeze. Pay special attention to a particularly delirious Western Tink, who shows up on “Ain’t No Future” doing an Eazy E charming-scumbag routine and shouting out Last of the Mohicans on “Very Rare.”
Other highlights: The space funk remix of French Montana’s “Shot Caller,” and a sparkling 9th Wonder-esque take on Drake’s “Best I Ever Had.” If this is psychedelic hip-hop, then it is of the bad vibes, the world’s-smooshing-my-brain sort.
Silkky Johnson’s Debauched Legend will be available for free download on Friday over at the producer’s SoundCloud, but you can listen to it now exclusively at SPIN.
Also Read
KEEPING IT REAL — ROUND TWO!
:audio=1:
