This extended play was released on January 26th this year. Fatboi Sharif has been responsible for a lot of the most interesting music I’ve heard this decade. Last year he went super saiyan and dropped his EP with LoneSword as well as his album with noface, which were both probably the weirdest projects I heard in 2022. I mean that in a good way though. When it comes to underground experimental Hip Hop, Fatboi Sharif is pretty much at the forefront in my opinion. It’s interesting because when I first listened to his music I never could’ve predicted the direction he ended up going in. I think the first song I heard from him was Ape Twin, and it feels like his flow and taste in production have totally transformed since then. I like it though. I mean, don’t get me wrong; the shit he was doing before was dope as hell too. Something about the shit he’s doing now just feels way more unique though. That’s probably why his popularity has been snowballing these past couple years. I think he’s one of the most unique, original artists out right now, so I was pretty excited when I saw the announcement for this project. I was even more hyped when I saw that it was fully produced by Roper Williams, who produced Gandhi Loves Children. That’s still my favorite project that I’ve heard from Fatboi Sharif, so I kinda knew I would dig this project.

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The project begins with a highlight entitled Christ Corpse. I fucking love this song. The instrumental is really pretty. The piano loop makes me feel like I’m floating on a cloud. The first verse from Sharif is amazing too. I love his weird, dark lyricism.

Deify the heartland appeared
Don't tell my secrets to the man upstairs
I'm disgusted by youth, unflustered from truth
Tainted tales surveyed youth upheld by a noose

This is the only track with lyrics available on Apple Music, so that might be why I was able to appreciate it more than a lot of the other songs. It’s a pretty short track, but it still manages to have a very fleshed out structure, so it doesn’t feel incomplete or anything. There are two (short) verses, and a really dope hook.

Buried the corpse of Christ to free us for forgiveness

This is one of my favorite songs on the project. I think it’s dope as hell. The following track is called Scrabble Board Pieces, and it’s arguably even better.

This one was released as a single a couple weeks before the full project dropped, and I definitely see why they chose this one. The chaotic production sounds awesome, and Sharif fits over it perfectly.

Pistol bled through his forearm, lead phoenix
Approached God with a handgun after sex with a red zebra
I tongue kiss a word bank
Swallow pill, guitar angst

I think I misquoted some of those lines, but either way they sound super dope. I feel like Fatboi Sharif has mastered the art of saying a lot with as few words as possible. He’s not one of those super wordy, lyrical miracle MCs that’ll syllable you to death. With that said, the rhymes themselves are usually multisyllabic, which I appreciate. The second verse on this track is performed by Elucid, and I’m not sure which one of them had the better verse. They both killed this song.

They make too much music with nonblacks saying "nigga" for you to not fuck with the true and livin'

There are a lot of standout lines from Elucid. I think he said something about prayers bouncing like titty meat on thick jawns. Maybe I misheard that. I don’t know. That’s fire though. Anyway, this is probably my favorite song on the project if I’m being completely honest. It’s also just one of my favorite Fatboi Sharif songs period. There’s nothing about it that I don’t really like. I think it’s dope as hell. The next song is called Cinnamon, and it probably has the prettiest, most dreamy instrumental on the whole project. Well, I don’t know… It’s probably tied with the opening track. Both of them are really nice, pleasant, soft-sounding loops. At the very end of the track, some subtle drums come in for literally less than 5 seconds. It’s a weird, yet awesome detail that I think adds a lot to the song. Sharif’s actual rapping on this track is fire too.

Paranoid surrounding
Talk of the town and
She leaped in the fountain
It felt so astounding
3034, a laced odyssey
What a world, died a violent death
Invaded space for a property
Spoke holy grail, replaced Socrates

The second verse is even better than the first one in my opinion, and the hook is pretty nice too. This track honestly grew on me with repeat listens. I thought it was dope the first time I heard it, but now I really love it. If you’re not into Sharif’s off-kilter flow and vocal delivery then you probably won’t be able to appreciate this. The beat’s really good, but it’s not the main appeal of the song for me. Sharif’s lyricism is what really draws me in. Don’t get me wrong; the production is definitely a selling point for me too. It’s just… I’ll put it like this: if this was just an instrumental song, I probably wouldn’t return to it. The pairing of the vocals with this dreamy instrumental works really well. I think it’s dope as hell. It’s followed by Po Pimping Do or Die, which features Bruiser Wolf. Personally, I wouldn’t really consider myself a fan of Bruiser Wolf, but I don’t think he’s trash or anything. I actually think he’s a pretty good lyricist. It’s just that I’m not really a fan of his vocal delivery or flow. I don’t like the way he sounds when he raps. With that said, I was able to enjoy aspects of his performance here. I liked that line about how life’s a bitch, but he supports her like a feminist. That was cool.

My bitch thicker than the bassline, get laid like vocals
I give you a Columbian necktie, now you're antisocial

I really love the instrumental on this track too. I think this song easily has one of Sharif’s most accessible flows on the project. I mean, by conventional Hip Hop standards it’s still a pretty weird flow. It’s relatively orthodox compared to the other shit on this project though. The Eyes Wide Shut line was pretty cool. I think I would’ve preferred this as a solo track, but it’s not like I totally hated the Bruiser Wolf verse. I have mixed feelings on it. Anyway, the outro on this song is really nice too. It only lasts a few seconds, but it sounds really good. The penultimate track is called Alligator Stew. This is another track that grew on me heavily. I really liked it when I first heard it, but now I love it. The lowkey production is pretty nice, but it’s Sharif who pushed this track to the next level for me. I love his vocal delivery on this track. He sounds kinda different from how he usually sounds. Once again, the flow is a bit less weird than it has been on some of the other tracks. This song probably has my favorite hook on the whole project honestly. That line about shouting for God’s help and then shooting the sheriff is really cool. This is another one of my favorite songs on the project. I think it’s dope as hell. The closing track is entitled Identity. This track might actually have my favorite beat on the project. It’s probably the most traditional Hip Hop instrumental on the whole EP just because there’s actually a drum pattern that’s easy to grasp onto. The beat is kinda jazzy, but still pretty weird. The weirdest aspect of this song is definitely Sharif’s actual rapping. He’s not really rhyming a lot, but it sounds surprisingly natural. I mean, he is rhyming, but it’s like… The rhymes don’t land where you would expect them to.

Smelled fear once in my life
Black hoodie covered headband
Zombie swarm drug infested
Saw the boogieman's dance

I feel like I’m doing a bad job of explaining it. Basically what I’m tryna say is that the rhyme scheme is weird as hell, and definitely the most experimental aspect of the song in my opinion. It’s fucking awesome though. Sharif is really a one of a kind MC. I think the song is really dope.

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^{This EP is really great. There’s not a single track here that I don’t like. If you’ve listened to anything Fatboi Sharif has released in the past year or two then you probably know to expect some wild shit. This project pretty much gave me exactly what I wanted. I think if you’re a fan of Sharif then it’d be weird as hell for you to not like this EP. I think Roper Williams & Fatboi Sharif are a fantastic duo, and I wouldn’t mind hearing even more work from them in the future. To be completely honest, this makes me want another new album from Sharif. More Roper Williams production would be dope, but I’m sure Sharif would kill the instrumentals of any producer he chooses to work with. I feel like I haven’t explained what makes this project in particular so good. First of all, the production is fire. Like I kinda mentioned earlier in the body of this review, some of them aren’t instrumentals that I would just listen to on their own without a rapper over them, but Sharif really fits over them perfectly. I don’t think there are many other MCs who would sound this good over these beats. The features here thankfully came through with quality performances as well. I really don’t have any consistent gripes with this EP. I think it’s another one of the best things Sharif has done, and I can’t wait to hear more from him. This is on par with Preaching in Havana in my opinion. If I had to choose one over the other I’d probably go with the latter just because it’s longer and there’s more to dig into, but as an EP this project definitely did its job by leaving me wanting more. This shit is dope. Check it out.}

Favorite Song: Scrabble Board Pieces
Least Favorite Song: Po Pimping Do or Die

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