Lizzobangers

About

Long before she became a hip-hop-to-pop crossover icon with chart-topping smashes like “Juice,” “Truth Hurts,” and “About Damn Time,” Lizzo had to fight for the spotlight in Minneapolis' competitive rap scene. Following short, formative stints with underground projects like electro-soul duo Lizzo & The Larva Ink, as well as all-female rap and R&B group The Chalice, the fast-rhyming Texas native broke out with her combustive 2013 debut LP, <i>Lizzobangers</i>. Though the album's DNA is more rooted in classic rap and hip-hop codes than Lizzo’s subsequent pop epics, it features many of the hallmarks that would inevitably launch the singer to stardom and stylistically set her apart from her peers. The stripped-down percussion and saturated basslines of “Be Still” are bolstered by ethereal flute melodies she learned to compose and perform during her classical music training, while the uproarious stream of consciousness of “T-Baby,” “Batches & Cookies,” and “Paris” expertly showcases the sardonic songcraft she would later become known for. <i>Lizzobangers</i> was co-produced by Lazerbeak and Ryan Olson and released via the latter's label, Totally Gross National Product. Several of the album's beats were taken from Lazerbeak's 2012 solo LP, <i>Lava Bangers</i>, which wove together kaleidoscopic references from old-school hip-hop, groovy soul instrumentals, and bursts of Y2K-era electroclash. This eclectic canvas suited Lizzo's nontraditional approach to hip-hop. She echoes the breakneck delivery of Outkast's “B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad)” on the crashing percussion of “Faded,” while the booming horns of “W.E.R.K. Pt. II” frame her boasts of tireless hustle in a beat that could be a New Orleans bounce remix of Afrika Bambaataa. But ultimately, <i>Lizzobangers</i> is all about the bars. Album opener “Lizzie Borden” cites the infamous 19th-century axe murderer and establishes a precedent of lethal songwriting out the gate. The sentiment is later revisited on “Hot Dish,” as she declares, “The only rapper with a womb, that'll spit that 16 bars to send you rappers to the tomb.” It's not only a brazen celebration of her own lyrical skills but also a warning to her male peers that women in rap should not be underestimated. She once again eviscerates sexism on “Luv It,” shooting off searing barbs about scrubs and never singing backup for a lesser star. And as if those withering flexes weren't enough, her breathless delivery on “Pants vs. Dress” alone should get Lizzo inducted into the tongue-twisting hall of fame alongside Twista and Busta Rhymes.

via Apple Music