RPXSB
CREATURES...Act III: JOPO
San Francisco, United States
Fresh out of San Francisco, Indie Hip Hop duo RPxSB showcase their extraordinary alias in their latest project CREATURES (Acts I-III). Here, RPxSB (or Roddy Picante and Stay-Bizzy or Rock Plaid and Survive Bullshxt) released part three of their triple album entitled "CREATURES...Act III: JOPO" having already seen success with their previous releases under their creatures project "Act I" and "Act II"
Through "Act III" "JOPO" is used as an acronym for Jack Off Pass Out as a phrase to describe what the duo define as " the aftermath to the aftermath. The come down if you will. A stop and smell the roses moment. Nothing still matters, yet everything does."
Released under "Vibeland label imprint" RPXSB has managed to showcase a whole wealth of musical abilities from familiar to the unknown in a way that appeals to fans of a multitude of artists from Dom Kennedy, Earth Gang, Odd Future and Larry June and beyond.
So, let's get into these 8 songs in detail and see what's what shall we?...
"CREATURES...Act III: JOPO" opens with a piece entitled "Bad Lemons". This track grabbed my attention straight away from the 1960s feel! Opening with those real old classics of the genre we hear those sway-worthy backing vocal samples along with a persistent guitar loop to take us back in time. One thing that I found really special about this piece is the way that the best of modern hip-hop mixed flawlessly into the 60s feel. It's something that hits listeners whether you like it or not you will be intrigued! I was definitely in awe of the creativity and talent here.
"Friday Night at Tootsies" brings listeners back into the hip-hop genre that we hear today through the use of lofi synths that use a bubble panning effect to fill all of the space in the piece. This makes room for the bass of the 808s to really hit.
"Bip City Blues" takes us through time once more! This time we're taken back into good old school Hip-Hop that is packed with gospel vocal chop samples throughout, heavy basslines and the slickness of jazz-inspired brass instrumentation. Again the duo have brought the lyrical content in the form of talks of Tom Hanks Castaway, Wilson and beyond. This is a whole bottle of sauce and some!
"Coast 2 Coast" marks the midpoint of the project and this time we get to hear some darker content in the form of drill. I love the amount of contrast that this project brings in every track that it provides. Edgy bell synths, 808s and trap drum loops bring a very G-Eazy style to the sound of RPXSB here. This is a nice little collaboration between RPxSB and Chuuwee.
"Jaded" keeps to the feel of "Coast 2 Coast" but with a slightly less eerie and more lofi production. Again listeners are guided by an edgy synth but this time through a more horn-sounding VST. The piece has a nice percussion to it that holds the front of the instrumentation to create something different for the vocals to rest on. Again, those trap drum loops make all the difference to the feel of this piece when compared to the others.
"Sprinkler System" has the heaviest bass on the project so far. We get sprinkles of bell synths and deep trapsoul vocal chops to really lift the piece into something extraordinary. The lyric here is solid yet again. The piece is basic enough for listeners to grasp every word instantly but creative enough to hold the attention of the listener.
"Slaughter House Woes" marks the penultimate piece and a smooth one at that. This song has a real old-school R&B/NeoSoul/Hip-Hop feel to it. The synths melodies are typically 90s, the bass is full of 90s flavour and to add the finishing touch to the 90s feel is the woodblock percussion! The rap flow here is smooth, the lyrics meaningful and the whole production will have you relaxed and zoned out for sure!
Closing the project is "(281) 330-8004" and well, this is a whole dream in the form of 3 minutes 36 seconds. Just enough to relax you into the ending of the whole 3 part project but equally enough to make you want to hear more! This is such a solid album!