This album was released on March 24th this year. I really have no idea how I’m gonna feel about this project. I’m a big fan of Danny Brown, but I haven’t enjoyed a JPEGMAFIA project since 2019. I also had mixed feelings about the singles. I hated the first one, but loved the second one, so I really don’t know what to expect. I was hoping that it would just be JPEGMAFIA on production and Danny Brown rapping because I don’t really care for JPEGMAFIA as an MC anymore. I’m pretty sure they’re both rapping on each song though. I’m expecting this to be one of the most sonically interesting listening experiences of the year. Every song is produced by JPEGMAFIA.

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The album starts off with Lean Beef Patty, which they dropped as the lead single ahead of the album’s full release.

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I think it’s pretty terrible honestly. The production is ass. I really hate the primary sample that serves as the backbone of the instrumental. It sounds really annoying to me. Danny just spits 16 bars at the end of this track, and his verse really feels like an afterthought. Lyrically, everything he says goes in one ear and out the other. As plenty of other listeners have pointed out, the mixing is so bad that you can barely hear what he’s saying. After reading the lyrics, my assumption is that they did that on purpose to hide the fact that he’s really not saying anything.

Know your place, you won't act wrong, B
You ain't gotta lie, hit this anarchy
In your head, girl, I'm rent free
She can't stop thinkin' 'bout me
So drop it low, like you're pickin' up change
Go ahead, girl, do your thing
So bust up, and then what's up?
Spittin' fast like Busta
You might need to trust her
Feel like I love ya

If I had to guess, I’d say that Danny freestyled his verse because it’s about as interesting as a wet carrot. The flows on this track are all pretty standard. If the production was actually really good then I might have enjoyed this song, but it sadly isn’t, so I think this shit is really fucking wack. The following song is called Steppa Pig, and it’s slightly better. Once again, I really dislike the production here. It’s pretty melodic. The mixing is just so bad that it makes everything sound really grating. Just like with the preceding track, everything Danny said went in one ear and out the other. I liked JPEGMAFIA’s rapping more on this track, but I still wouldn’t say it was good. I really don’t like anything about this track. I don’t hate it quite as much as the preceding song, but I still think it’s pretty bad. It’s followed by the title track, SCARING THE HOES, which is thankfully really great to me.

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This is the only song on the album that I would say I really love. I actually think the beat here is really cool. The ass clapping sample sounds awesome, and same goes for the woodwind instrumentation that rests over it. I don’t actually think it’s the sound of someone’s ass clapping, but it’s funnier to pretend that it is. Anyway, once the drums actually come in I instantly get the coveted involuntary head nod. JPEGMAFIA handles the hook on this song, and it’s solid. The verse from Danny is okay I guess. It’s really just the production that I really love. Danny said something along the lines of “It’s not about the bars, it’s all about the brand,” and that kinda sums up how I feel about this record. It seems like it’s more focused on having an unorthodox aesthetic than anything else. That’s fine though. It’s not really a bad thing necessarily. I’m just personally not into that kinda stuff. This song is fire though. The beat is too good, and they sound decent over it. I think it’s dope as hell. Track 4 is called Garbage Pale Kids, which is a pretty funny name to me. I used to collect Garbage Pail Kids when I was a child. Anyway, I actually think the opening verse from Danny Brown on this song is pretty good.

Ask Siri if I'm that nigga
She'll probably answer back, "Don't ask me stupid shit, my nigga"
I'm a stone cold degenerate, working out wit' no membership
A minute late, you'll wonder where the bitches went?
My manuscript, I can't handle it
Eat ya ass like I'm Canibus

That Canibus line is probably my second favorite bar on the whole album. I mean, it’s not amazing or anything. It’s slightly humorous though. I like it. Unfortunately I really don’t care for the production on this track. The vocal sample is annoying as hell to me. However, the electric guitar that comes in for the hook actually sounds pretty awesome. I honestly love that part of the song. The verse from Peggy is pretty solid. His flow was cool. None of the lyrics stood out to me, but I didn’t mind his performance. I don’t think this song is bad, but it’s just not something I’m ever gonna have the desire to listen to again. I think it’s just okay. Unfortunately the following track, Fentanyl Tester, is a lot worse to me. I really hate the high-pitched Kelis sample here. It sounds annoying as hell. The rapping is pretty mediocre to me too. Nothing about this song really stands out in a good way. Peggy did have one line about hitting whippets, which struck me as an odd flex. I wouldn’t call this a bad song, but I’d be lying if I said I enjoyed it even a little bit. I think it’s mediocre. The next song is called Burfict!, and it’s one of the more enjoyable songs on the album. It honestly grew on me a lot. I think the melodic, bass heavy, horn-driven production is pretty dope for the most part. The only part of the instrumental that I don’t like at all is the middle section of the song when Peggy first comes in. It only lasts for like four bars though, so it’s not enough to completely ruin the song for me. The first verse from Danny is actually pretty fresh. I don’t think any of the lyrics really stand out, but he rhymed well, and his flow sounded excellent over this beat. JPEGMAFIA’s flow sounds nice too. I definitely think this is easily one of the best songs on the album. Again, it grew on me a lot. I think it’s dope. The following track is called Shut Yo Bitch Ass Up / Muddy Waters. I like the Shut Yo Bitch Ass Up part of the song, but I unfortunately don’t really care for the other half. I think the verse from Danny Brown is good.

I just hit the bottle to drown out the chatter
All these voices in my head had my brain all scattered
How I got more ill when I stopped poppin' them pills
Now I'm slangin' propane like I'm King of the Hill 

His flow and delivery sounded really good. The beat is okay. I like certain parts of it more than others. I definitely prefer the first half of the instrumental over the second half. I just think JPEGMAFIA’s part of the song is really boring. However, I did find this part of his verse pretty funny…

How the fuck you thirty-plus and still postin' on KTT?

The song is weird as hell, but not really in a good way. I like Danny’s performance on this track, but other than that I’m not really feelin’ it. I think it’s okay though. The following track is called Orange Juice Jones, and it’s a lot worse to me. I think the production here is pretty nice actually. Or at least, it would be nice if the mixing wasn’t so bad. It’s kind of hard to enjoy when it sounds like I’m listening to it with headphones made of baked potatoes. Danny Brown’s hook on this song is really annoying to me. His delivery is mad grating here, and his flow is lame. I also really don’t like the way he ended his verse. It sounds like this entire performance was freestyled. JPEGMAFIA’s verse was actually pretty hard. His performance on the mic is easily the best part of this song to me. His flow was great. Overall, I think the song’s really mediocre. Track 9 is called Kingdom Hearts Key, and it features redveil. It’s an okay track. I thought the beat was cool at first, but it gets pretty old by the time the song ends. That’s definitely just a nitpick though. As far as the rapping goes, I think this track gets better and better as it progresses. Peggy’s performance didn’t really do much for me, but Danny Brown’s flow was really nice. I think redveil had the best verse on this track though honestly. He sounded great here. Overall, this definitely isn’t a bad song at all. It’s pretty solid. I just won’t be returning to it personally because I’m not crazy about the production. It’s followed by God Loves You, which is easily one of the best songs on the album in my opinion. The production here is actually really great. It’s still mixed really shittily, and I really wish that it wasn’t. I still like it though. I don’t really care for the lyrical content of this song since they’re pretty much just talking about fucking and telling girls to shake their asses. However, I will admit that this quatrain from Danny is probably my number one favorite set of bars on the whole album just because it’s kinda funny.

That pussy wet like Noah's Ark
Go ahead, girl, just bless me
If you on your period, call me Moses
'Cause I'm about to split that red sea

I didn’t really care for Peggy’s verse on this track, but it definitely wasn’t bad enough to completely ruin the song for me. I think this track is pretty good overall. The following song is called Run the Jewels. I thought I was gonna like this song at first because the way the beat builds up throughout JPEGMAFIA’s verse is really cool. However, there’s sadly not much of a payoff. The beat that comes in for Danny Brown’s verse is terrible. I’m pretty indifferent towards the rapping on this song. I mean, it’s cool I guess. I just really dislike the instrumental. Overall, I think the song’s mediocre. Jack Harlow Combo Meal is the only other song on the album that I would say is actually bad. I can understand the appeal of this song though. It’s just not for me. I think the juxtaposition of the jazzy piano loop with the glitchy, fast paced percussion is kind of interesting. It’s just not particularly enjoyable to me. Danny Brown didn’t really say anything interesting in the first verse, but his flow at least sounded pretty solid. Same goes for the verse from JPEGMAFIA I guess. What really makes this song wack to me is the sung bridge from Peggy, which I think sounds awful. That’s easily my least favorite aspect of the song. It’s far from the worst song on the album, but I still think it’s pretty bad. The penultimate track is called HOE (Heaven on Earth). This song grew on me a little bit. It’s still not something that I’d ever have the desire to listen to again in the future, but I don’t think it’s bad at all. The beat is kinda cool. I just wish there was a different type of rapper over it. billy woods would probably sound cool over this beat, especially if it was mixed properly. I don’t really care about anything either of the rappers on this song had to say. Their flows and deliveries at least sounded pretty good though. The outro of this song feels really awkward to me. It sounds like Peggy didn’t really know how to end it in a satisfying way, so he just gave up after extending it for a while. It’s an okay song overall though. Definitely not bad. The closing track is called Where Ya Get Ya Coke From? I really just don’t care for the production here. It sounds really irritating to me. The rapping here from Peggy & Danny is fine. I kinda don’t care about anything they’re actually saying on this track, but they at least sound good. Much like with the preceding track, I wouldn’t call this a bad song, although I do think it’s worse. It’s mediocre to me.

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^{I don’t like this album, but I wouldn’t say it’s bad. There are a few tracks I really disliked, but I’m just indifferent towards most of the material here. My biggest issue with it is just the mixing. This album sounds like ass. A lot of the beats are too glitchy for me too. I’m really not into this style of production from JPEGMAFIA, which is disappointing because I used to really love his beats. I kinda wish this album had Peggy entering Danny’s world instead of the other way around. This feels like a JPEGMAFIA album co-starring Danny Brown rather than a balanced collaboration. I guess I should’ve seen that coming though since all the beats are done by Peggy. I think the rapping on this album is pretty mediocre. It doesn’t really have much to offer outside of a few funny lines. There are a couple songs here that I like, but overall I think this album is midpack.}

Favorite Song: SCARING THE HOES
Least Favorite Song: Lean Beef Patty

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Watch the videos below for more thoughts on this album.