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It’s a dream that will surely get everyone hyped up. Between Barrington ‘JPEGMAFIA’ Hendricks’s avant-sampledelic production and Danny Brown’s iconic rapping style, the two emcees have made their mark as the best stars in experimental hip hop. Helping with the two’s case as well is that they’re renowned for having released some of the best albums in recent times. JPEGMAFIA (often shortened to ‘Peggy’ by fans) released LP! just two years ago with many already hyping it up as one of the greatest records in underground hip hop. Danny Brown’s Atrocity Exhibition has been renowned as a masterpiece in self-destruction and substance abuse in hardcore hip hop since 2015. With both albums containing a flexible array of samples, aggressive beats, and memorable delivery, it’s no wonder why fans of both artists were excited when the two announced that they’ll be collaborating for a new release.

When Scaring The Hoes finally drops on the 24th of March, the result sees what might be one of the most immaculately produced albums we may ever hear in this decade. Peggy and Brown would continue to take shots at anyone in their crosshair from nostalgic hip hop heads to incels in ‘Steppa Pig’ even to Elon Musk from the beginning in ‘Lean Beef Patty’. It’s really the twists and turns with the samples that sets the album as a gold mine. On the one hand, you tend to have the R&B suaveness as demonstrated in ‘Orange Juice Jones’ or the seductive touch of gospel in ‘HOE (Heaven to Earth)’. These typical productions see the two rap about drugs and sex in their typically charismatic style that makes up for the archetypal subject matter in the genre.

However, a lot of beats see a serious alteration or masterful timing of their samples. Among the most notable examples is the title track where, backing up the attack on conformity, is an addictive mix of clapping and saxophone playing taken from Dirty Beaches’ no-wave music. With how dissonant the production is with the menacing drum and guitar emerging half-way through, it’s surprising that the instrumental is able to stick with you for a long time. Following on with that is ‘Garbage Pale Kids’ which takes a snippet from a Japanese commercial from the 1980s, trap mixed with prideful horns in ‘Burfict!’, and a complete beat switch in ‘Run The Jewels’ and ‘Shut Yo Bitch Ass Up / Muddy Waters’. If you were to throw in the glorious mix of guitar and choral chants, the whole experience is nothing short of impressive, almost flabbergasting even at how well the whole project has been executed together. It’s worth noting that the mixing might come off as being grimy to a fault to some listeners, but such a sound might feel befitting given the two’s often avant-garde emphasis on the idea of their production.

The beats weren’t the only aspect of the album that makes it such an amazing listen. It’s incredibly fun to take note of the two rappers’ references and intonations in their verses. Peggy’s own take in ‘Fentanyl Tester’ alludes to music stars like Jay-Z and Beyonce, old sitcoms such as Gilligan’s Island, and sports players like Klay Thompson in a rapid pace that it takes a good few extra listens to catch all the shout-outs. On the other hand, ‘Jack Harlow Combo Meal’ has Brown poke fun at the titular emcee for compromising on his talent in favour of sponsorship and wealth. It’s hilarious to hear him end his verse by calling out his targets for “[letting] Jack Harlow sell y’all chick” with a quick enunciation and sludgy mixing that you could mistake for mumble rap parody. 

Hell, a featured verse from Marcus ‘Redveil’ Morton in ‘Kingdom Hearts Key’ is done with such a charismatic swagger for someone who’s only 19 at the time. With his willingness to dive into the rapping world to earn money for his family and his bravado as a growing artist, it’s just bars after bars after bars. You might as well wonder if he’s going to rise up in fame to become one of the potential new stars; this track is already set for him to go straight to the top after a few years’ worth of time spent in underground hip hop.

When Scaring The Hoes ends with a bang in the claustrophobic cacophony in ‘Where Ya Get ya Coke From?’, it takes a good while for you to take in what you’ve just heard. Wow. It’s such a pulsating use of samples from all kinds of sources to create some of the most imaginative productions you could ever listen to. It’s utterly vivid in how JPEGMAFIA would turn a snippet from an ordinary TV commercial into one of the hardest beats to have for a battle rap track. 

Like a subversive masterpiece that is inspired by blaxploitation, you can tell that no matter how outside-the-box the two tried to be, the sum of all their collaboration’s themes speak so much about their perception of black American representation. Think about the tongue-in-cheek album title, the barrage of offences against the rich, and the counter-commercial appeal of the beats. It’s no wonder why despite the odds that are stacked against them, Peggy and Brown emerge as the online favourites. They just know their craft all too well. Fans will not only love Scaring The Hoes, but they will treasure it to their graves.