Written By: Jack Skidmore
Historically, the blending of genres has created some of the most intriguing music to date. For myself, I have found the most enjoyment in artists that constantly aim to push the envelope with enthusiasm. For a few years now, one of my genre interests has been in the amalgamation of psychedelic genres and hip hop.
From its birth in the ’60s, psychedelic rock has now evolved to a new form of neo-psychedelia that often is more pop-focused. Many artists in this domain now dominate much of the mainstream but still exemplify some of the psychedelic genre’s original characteristics. One of these that come to mind almost immediately especially when considering the blend of psychedelic and hip-hop is Kevin Parker of Tame Impala. His work with mainstream rappers such as Kanye West, Kid Cudi, and Travis Scott has led him to a high prestige in this art and perhaps coined him as hip-hop’s favorite rock star. However, I wanted to present a few more of my favorite examples within the hip-hop psychedelic Venn diagram that I’ve had on repeat.
Let's Start Here by Lil Yachty
If some had told me at the start of the year that a Lil Yachty record would be one of my favorite albums of 2023, I probably would have laughed in their face. I honestly have not paid much attention to his music since the end of the Lil Boat craze during my freshman year of high school. For me personally, all of his records up until now have been repetitive and haven't added much to his musical style.
Let's Start Here both recreates Lil Yachty’s entire musical image and serves as a template for other artists within the often suffocating trap scene to grow musically. Even the title itself foreshadows a new beginning to Yachty’s career. It is also worth noting that the musical jump was aided by other artists alongside Yachty. Both Ben Goldwasser of MGMT and Jake Portrait of Unknown Mortal Orchestra are credited for the production of this album.
However, this project certainly is not without its flaws. There are plenty of dud tracks but overall I believe the positives of this album definitely outweigh the negatives. For starters, the energy of the first track, “the BLACK seminole” is an exhilarating experience. Unfortunately, I find that this same energy is lacking on the spots on the album that really need it. I do love how accessible this album is. It's not too experimental but also offers something a bit more exciting than mainstream hip-hop.
Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez by Gorillaz
Being probably the most popular “virtual band”, Gorillaz put an emphasis on consistent genre bending. Each of their albums relies on a multitude of features that builds diversity within all of the material they release. It is without a doubt that a lot of these artists on some of the group's projects come from backgrounds in both hip-hop and psychedelic music. Gorillaz serves as a medium for these styles to interact.
Their 2020 album Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez contains some of my favorite of these mixed genre songs. For starters, the track, Opium, includes vocals from the rap duo, EARTHGANG, and hypnotic synths as the backtrack. The intro of the song adds a psychedelic depth and pulls the listener into an auditory trance leading into the EARTHGANG feature that dominates the rest of the song.
Another one of my favorites on this project is the song Severed Heart by the hip-hop artist, GoldLink, in collaboration with Unknown Mortal Orchestra. As a fan of Unknown Mortal Orchestra, it is interesting to see how their style leaks into tracks such as this one. As a cohesive band, Unknown Mortal Orchestra performs with a full set of standard rock band instruments however in their hip-hop collaborations, they rely more on synthesizers in their stylistic expression. They seem to take a backseat approach to highlight the vocal ability of other artists, in this case, GoldLink.
JPEGMAFIA
Finally, I want to bring up an artist that isn't necessarily psychedelic, but rather entirely genre-defying in their personal style. Without a doubt, psychedelic undertones are an aspect within much of JPEGMAFIA’s music. The artist himself seems to build an encapsulating atmosphere that takes the listener directly into the psyche of JPEGMAFIA himself. It’s a transcendental experience.
Impressively, JPEGMAFIA juxtaposes his more spacey sounds alongside moments of aggressive and in-your-face delivery style. His 2019 project, All My Heroes Are Cornballs exemplifies this phenomenon. On the opening track “Jesus Forgive Me, I Am A Thot”, JPEGMAFIA screams through the microphone then sings pleasantly over a wispy instrumental. Many other tracks follow a similar theme by incorporating synth-focused psychedelic beats tied throughout the album.
The examples noted above only scratch the surface in outlining the stylistic reach of this genre hybrid. It's great to see trendy music collaborations that take place between such distant and unique genres. I hope in the future to see this recent style influence the work of many other artists in the mainstream and beyond.