Scaring The Hoes

''Scaring the Hoes'' (also known as ''Scaring the Hoes, Vol. 1'', both stylized in all caps) is a collaborative studio album by American rappers JPEGMafia and Danny Brown. It was released on March 24, 2023, by AWAL Records. The release featured sole production by JPEGMafia and included a sole guest appearance by independent Maryland rapper Redveil. The album had been teased for a year leading up to the release of its first single "Lean Beef Patty" on March 13, with the album's official title being announced the same day. On March 21, the title track from the album was released as a single. On July 11, an EP expansion to the album, titled ''Scaring the Hoes: DLC Pack'', was released.

Background and recording

On March 28, 2022, JPEGMafia was invited as a guest for NTS Radio, performing in London, playing songs from artists such as Björk, Sky Ferreira, Big K.R.I.T., and Black Rob. Around the 39-minute mark of the session, he previewed the early version of the song "Burfict!", which featured Danny Brown. The duo later performed the song at Smoker's Club Fest in April 2022. Brown later confirmed that the duo would release a collaborative album, saying "So yeah, Danny Brown and JPEGMafia album. Y’all just heard the first song, coming soon. Motherfuckers get ready for Peggy and Danny, bitch."

On January 15, 2023, JPEGMafia shared images of Brown and himself working in the studio via Twitter and revealed that the album would be released in the same year. In episode 43 of The Danny Brown Show podcast (aired February 28, 2023), Brown invited JPEGMafia on the show to talk about the album, where they revealed the tentative album title (''Scaring the Hoes, Vol. 1)'' and previewed the album's first single, "Lean Beef Patty". On March 13, the single was released to streaming services, alongside its music video and an announcement of the album's release date.

Production and style

''Scaring the Hoes'' was mainly produced on the Roland SP-404SX. JPEGMafia described the production process as a "practice session", saying "this is what we would sound like in the 90s with no Pro Tools". On the album, JPEGMafia incorporates similar production style to that of his third and fourth studio albums, with a focus on utilizing samples from soul, gospel, no-wave, and 2000's music.

Critical reception

''Scaring the Hoes'' was met with widespread critical acclaim. On review aggregator Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 86, based on 13 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".

Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Fred Thomas stated that ''Scaring the Hoes'' was "defiantly anti-pop", but still managed to achieve something "unexpectedly catchy and captivating." He also referred to the album as crowded, confusing, and ridiculous, but concluded that thanks to the performances from JPEGMafia and Brown, it still remained exciting. Writing for '' Clash'', Robin Murray called it, "A nerve-jangling experience" as well as describing it as JPEGMafia and Brown's masterpiece. In a five-star review from '' DIY'', Matthew Davies Lombardi described that the album "overdelivers time and time again".

Wesley McLean of ''Exclaim!'', praised JPEGMafia's ability to "forge these undeniably hard, speaker-knocking instrumentals that are simultaneously muddled and grimy messes" and referred to it as "his superpower". ''The Guardian'' editor Alexis Petridis, declared it "Smart but chaotic, funny but disturbing" as well as describing it as a "confounding victory". Steven Loftin commended the album in the review for ''The Line of Best Fit'', claiming it "often feels more like a mixtape showcasing Peggy's inimitable skills as a producer, but its the addition of Brown's frenetic flow that elevates the patchwork quilt. It's his spiky wit and tonation which delivers a cargo-load of personality needed to spark the frenzy."

''MusicOMH'' writer Justin Devlin was more critical, suggesting that "If another project were on its way with a bit more polish and focus that would be ideal" but also felt that "the two certainly have a madcap chemistry that deserves to be explored further." Pete Tosiello of ''Pitchfork'' noted Brown's brisk delivery in the album, describing him as meeting "JPEGMafia's tempos with alacrity", but also criticized the mix, saying it "does not do Brown many favors". In the review for ''Rolling Stone'', Jeff Ihaza characterized it as being "distorted right up to the point of destruction", and also referred to it as being "scary", while stating that those traits make the album compelling.

Track listing

Notes
* "Lean Beef Patty" interpolates "I Need a Girl (Part Two)" by P. Diddy and Ginuwine featuring Loon, Mario Winans, and Tammy Ruggeri.
* "Fentanyl Tester" interpolates "Milkshake" by Kelis.
* "Kingdom Hearts Key" interpolates "約束はいらない" by Maaya Sakamoto.

Personnel

*Barrington " JPEGMafia" Hendricks – vocals, producer, mixing
*Daniel "Danny Brown" Sewell – vocals
*Marcus " Redveil" Morton – vocals (track 9)
* Jeff Ellis – mixing (tracks 1, 5–7, 9, 13, and 14)
*Dale Becker – mastering
*Pat Dagle - artwork

Charts

References

External links

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{{Danny Brown

2023 albums
Collaborative albums
JPEGMafia albums
Danny Brown (rapper) albums
Albums produced by JPEGMafia