SCARING THE HOES by JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown

Rating: 8/10

Standout Tracks: Steppa Pig, SCARING THE HOES, Burfict!, Orange Juice Jones, Kingdom Hearts Key (ft. redveil)

As someone who was unfamiliar with both JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown, I decided to listen to their collaborative album, SCARING THE HOES, as an introduction to both rappers. Based on the little information I know about the artists and their fanbases, I expected a slightly unconventional rap album, but I was not prepared for what I got. In a mostly positive way, SCARING THE HOES is one of the weirdest albums I have ever heard. The main catalyst behind this is the production from JPEGMAFIA. Peggy produced every song on the album, and it is something to marvel at. There is not a boring moment on this project, as Peggy and Brown rap over truly crazy beats making prominent use of Japanese samples and video game noises, sounding kind of like a Mario Kart soundtrack from hell. These glitchy, experimental hip-hop beats combined with outlandish flows and Danny Brown’s signature nasally voice combine for one of the most interesting listening experiences I have had in quite some time.

SCARING THE HOES starts off with two strong tracks, “Lean Beef Patty” and “Steppa Pig.” In terms of production and songwriting, “Lean Beef Patty” sets the tone for the rest of the album, as the song is driven by glitchy background noises and a pounding kick drum. On the opening line, Peggy calls out Elon Musk for charging for Twitter Blue, the first of many call outs and references to popular figures in entertainment, politics, music, and sports throughout the album. Danny has a small verse on this track, but he has a more significant role on “Steppa Pig,” delivering a strong verse over another video game-like beat before Peggy comes in with two good verses of his own.

One of the standouts on the album is the title track “SCARING THE HOES,” one of the strangest, but best produced songs on the project. It opens up with loud, rhythmic slapping noises and a saxophone with its occasional cracks and squeaks. This drums on this song are intense, which perfectly matches Danny Brown’s almost yelling cadence, which sounds Denzel Curry-esque. The fourth song is “Garbage Pale Kids,” which is one of the few weak spots. Although the samples are a highlight on many other tracks, the voices in this one distract from Brown and JPEGMAFIA, and there are moments where the instrumentals are overly distorted. The next song, “Fentanyl Tester,” sees the pair get back on track, unleashing impressive quick flows over another bouncy video game-like beat, featuring a glitchy sample of Kelis’ hit song “Milkshake” at the end.

They follow this up with “Burfict!” which is my personal favorite. It stands alone in terms of production, making use of horns and more intense drum patterns as opposed to the glitchy, electronic noises used throughout the rest of the project. This is Danny Brown’s best performance, delivering the heat with his verse before Peggy comes in and picks up right where he left in. This is the kind of song that will have you ready to run through a wall. This starts a particularly strong stretch, as “Shut Yo B**** Ass Up /  Muddy Waters” is another hard hitter with booming kick drums. Danny has a solid verse on “Shut Yo B**** Ass Up,” but the highlight is definitely JPEGMAFIA’s performance on “Muddy Waters,” filled with plenty of pop culture references delivered in a deep voice that he doesn’t show off much in other songs. The next song is “Orange Juice Jones,” which features a vocal sample from Michael Jackson’s “Dear Michael” in the background throughout the track. Danny Brown is phenomenal on this one, breaking out speedy triplet flows over a beautiful beat, which is probably the most tame on the whole album. The following song, “Kingdom Hearts Key,” includes a great verse from rising star Redveil, the only artist featured on the album. This is yet another calm song, featuring a gorgeous sample of “Yakusoku wa Iranai” by Japanese singer Maaya Sakamoto. Over these vocals, we hear a strong chorus and two great verses from Peggy, using more triplet flows, as well as another good performance from Brown.

Next up is “God Loves You.” This song includes another display of Danny Brown’s speed rapping abilities, followed by a decent Peggy verse that is by no means bad, but seems to lack substance. This is another moment where the sample overshadows their rapping, as the vocals, which sound straight out of a Church service, are mixed a little too loud, and the drums are too distorted. Following this is “Run The Jewels,” which samples the jazzy saxophone from LL Cool J’s “Going Back to Cali.” This is another odd sample, but one that works much better. The song is only about a minute long, so my only gripe is that we don’t get to hear more from JPEGMAFIA’s fun verse. “Jack Harlow Combo Meal” makes use of a chopped jazz piano and drum sample, which is a perfect contrast for Danny Brown’s verse. The soft sample keeps the track light as Brown and Peggy break out more of their impressive cadences. Although it is short, Peggy’s third verse is one of the standouts on SCARING THE HOES.

Unfortunately, the album doesn’t quite stick the landing. The penultimate track, “HOE (Heaven on Earth)” is another weird one, but not in a good way this time. The choppy Church organ and gospel vocals really do not work here, and Danny Brown delivers probably his weakest verse on the entire album. Although Peggy’s verse is alright, it is not enough to save this one. The album ends with “Where Ya Get Ya C*ke From?” which features another sample with too much distortion. The beat is really cool, and Peggy and Brown both have decent verses, but it is far from their best. 

Overall, this is one of the most fun albums I’ve listened to in a while. There is no shortage of experimentation on this project, and the weird moments provide many of the highlights. Most of the bold production choices pay off in a big way, with only a few tracks missing the mark. Personally, I love this album because of how unconventional most of the songs sound, but I think this might turn off some listeners as well. Though it is hard to accurately describe this album, it is daring, creative, and absolutely worth a listen at only 36 minutes in length.