Fresh off his run producing for The Council Of The Gods’ acclaimed Trilogy LP and orchestrating At Will, the lead single to Council member Nomad Carlos’ Element Of Surprize, Son Raw is back with Fantasy RapBall, a reimagining of classic rap verses from the 90s and beyond and the answer to a question that has confounded humanity for ages: what if we made a beat tape... but with raps.
Initially conceived over the course of 2020, Fantasy RapBall was developed as a form of wish fulfillment during the throes of the pandemic, when studio collaboration was impossible and free time mostly meant yet another episode of The Last Dance. In between watching clips of MJ both literally and figuratively dunking on the competition, Son Raw decided that if sports fans could cosplay as NBA and NFL coaches, he could probably grab a few rap acapellas and mold them into new songs, and eventually an album. Far from a collection of remixes however, Fantasy RapBall soon evolved into a beast of its own: a compilation smashing together verses wildly different ideas to form brand new compositions, all linked together with interludes and skits fit for the world’s illest weed dispensary. “I recorded most of this album before I started working with The Council, and this is my way of showing the world what I can do when producing a full project for vocalists. As such, the way the verses and hooks connect is just as important as the actual beatmaking” says Son Raw.
The album starts off with a bang courtesy of ‘Sci Fi In High Def’, a psychedelic banger akin to Son Raw’s Bandcamp classic Psychotic Hippies tape, only with Danny Brown, the long lost Captain Murphy, the late Sean Price, and rap legend Kool G Rap on the mic. Elsewhere ‘Like I Had Cerebral Palsy’ unites a dream team of Redman, E-40 and ODB, along with a classic Busta Rhymes hook, over funkafied production first developed through Montreal’s acclaimed Loop Sessions beatmaking jams. The project culminates with the 11-minute D-Boy Bouillabaisse, a rapid-fire collection of assorted raps, and Anti-Social Music, an ode to the newer school of East Coast crime rhymes.
Importantly, Son Raw noted his intent was to pay tribute to the Hip Hop icons of his youth, particularly those who are no longer with us: “When I was revising the album, I realized DMX had passed away shortly after I sampled his Verzuz appearance, joining Sean P, ODB, Pimp C, Lord Infamous, Big Pun and Dilla, who I purposefully sampled. Sadly, the Fantasy part of this tape is that I’ll never be able to work with them, so this was my way of paying respect.”
Best known for his writing at Passion of The Weiss as well as his recent contributions to notable publications like Dazed Magazine, Complex UK and The Fader (dropping soon!), Son Raw has been reporting on and contributing to the intersection of Hip Hop, Grime, Dancehall and other beat cultures for the past 15 years. As a DJ, he has performed at international festivals such as Piknic Electronik, underground radio stations such as Rinse France and legendary parties including Los Angeles’ Low End Theory. His recent critical series, the 12-part 2020 Vision Series, explored the history and impact of 12 albums released in the year 2000.
Son Raw is available for live performances, Radio Freestyles, Trance DJ sets, Occult Ceremonies and Funerals
credits
released December 3, 2021
Produced by Son Raw
Mixing & Mastering by INI
Raps by shhh... no sample snitching.