SpaceGhostPurrp: Mysterious Phonk: The Chronicles Of SpaceGhostPurrp

- Miami MC and producer SpaceGhostPurrp is definitely an interesting dude. At the disgustingly young age of 21 he comes equipped with maturity, talent and the wise head of a much older dude: a guy who's already lingered on the edge of the abyss and faced down his demons before most other kids move out of the family home. Debut studio record, Mysterious Phonk: The Chronicles of SpaceGhostPurrp was pieced together from a list of tracks that new home, the usually indie-centric 4AD had culled from his previous mix-tape releases and for those who haven't had the opportunity to listen to those tapes, it was a mixed experience. At the very least they were compelling. Hazy, sinister beats, songs smothered in darkness, well paired with his tales of the darker side of Miami, kinda like a black Don Jonson sippin' on syrup whilst dodging fiends. His choruses often consist of SpaceGhost chanting the same line repeatedly with near-hypnotic effect, that's actually kinda cool. There's no doubt the groundwork was solid, the thing that caused some displeasure was that most of these tapes seemed to be barely mastered, with the volume and recording quality jumping from track to track, a partly endearing but mostly annoying inconsistency that kind of drove me crazy and definitely didn't enhance the listening experience, especially when those jams are being blasted straight in your earholes. Not headphone masterpieces. That being said, the one greatest achievement of both 4AD and Purrp is in the transformation of these earlier tracks. Usually I'm bummed out when artists re-hash oldies instead of creating new music, but Mysterious Phonk is an exception to the rule. The polished old numbers, seamlessly paired with three new tracks sound badass. Purrp loses none of his edge and creative control, adding a level of cohesiveness and pure listenability that the young rapper never really achieved in a makeshift studio. Much to Purrp's credit, every track here he produced and the only voice you'll hear on this record is his own. Confidence and talent are things this young rapper is not short of. Monolith of a song, "No Evidence" is a seven minute epic with SpaceGhostPurrp at his terrifying best, a haunting and sweeping track that just creeps along and before you know it, it's over.

- Jay Edwards.