(THE PICKET) — Paul White and Danny Brown have proven to the music world that they are untouchable in the circle of experimental hip-hop. White brings his signature brand of off-kilter, post-punk production to Brown’s zany rap vocation for an insane two-track EP, “Accelerator”.
White and Brown are no strangers to each other. The Detroit based MC and British producer and vocalist meshed their brands on Brown’s critically acclaimed album, “Atrocity Exhibition”, where Brown became cemented in hip-hop as a remarkable force of nature. Brown’s “Looney-Tunes” flow and White’s muddy, spastic instrumentals on tracks like ‘Golddust’ and ‘Aint it Funny’ merged anxiety inducing soundscapes on an album full of dark and trippy lyricism. These two are continuing the trend for an EP that fits right at home on the b-sides of “Atrocity Exhibition”.
The title track, ‘Accelerator’, sounds like the type of dirty UK grunge that lies buried beneath a run-down pub. Amidst the grimy drum line emerges Brown: “Rap Ralph Bashki/ Smokin’ teriyaki/ Verbal kamikaze/ Axel at the Roxy”. Brown busts out rapid-fire verses illustrating the spiraling descent into madness. White cranks out a punk guitar riff to highlight the insane atmosphere when Brown jumps on the hook, “Walking light, the ground is so shaky/ Losing sight ’cause things is so hazy/ Lost my mind, think I’m going crazy.” The result is equal parts wild and intoxicating.
The second track on the EP, ‘Lion’s Den’, is a major contrast to its counterpart with its whimsical instrumentals that take flight over a clean snare and bass drum beat. “Seen too many fall, but this is all I know/ Whole family got high, I guess it’s in my blood,” raps Danny Brown, in a tale of his rise from Motor City with all the struggle and strife that came along. The track is less experimental than the title track, but what it lacks in grime is made up in the cut’s astonishing refinement.
“Accelerator” is the kind of gut-punch that explains the versatility of hip-hop. White and Brown have crafted two tracks that prove their range on each end of the tonal spectrum, without compromising talent or personality.
The EP was released on streaming, digital, and physical on Feb. 10, 2017.
Thomas Girod is a staff writer for The Picket. You can reach him at tgirod02@rams.shepherd.edu
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