SremmLife＜Translucent Red Vinyl/限定盤＞

ヒップホップ・デュオ Rae Sremmurd のデビュー・スタジオ・アルバム『SremmLife』の2枚組LPが発売!

ヒップホップ・デュオ Rae Sremmurd がEar Drummer Records / Interscope Recordsから2015年1月6日にリリースしたデビュー・スタジオ・アルバム。ヒット・シングル「No Flex Zone」「No Type」「Throw Sum Mo featuring Nicki Minaj and Young Thug」「This Could Be Us」「Come Get Her」収録。

カラー・ヴァイナル2枚組(半透明レッド)

Looking like a combination of Kriss Kross and Das Efx while sounding like neither, Tupelo, Mississippi rappers Swae Lee and Slim Jimmy came on hard in 2014, taking Migos' bright style of trap music and adding a little of David Banner's sway to the bottom end. They aren't so gangsta, and their early hits came with arguably "positive" messages when compared to folks like Chief Keef, as the brilliant "No Type" ("I ain't got no type/Bad bitches is the only thing that I like/You ain't got no life/Cups filled with ice and we do this every night") is a booty-fueled ode to keeping one's mind open, while "No Flex Zone" believes it's better to be a "trill ass individual" than a crowd follower. That latter hit put Rae Sremmurd (or Ear Drummers backwards, a reference to producer Mike WiLL Made It's record label) on the cover of a Marvel comic book relaunching Captain America as a racially diverse title, and in this case, the hype machine and talent work in tandem as SremmLife surrounds its hits with worthy follow-ups. Stoned roller "Lit Like Bic" is just happy to sit in "poppa's chair" now that these teens are entering their twenties, then "Up Like Trump" spits out witty bits like "I do my own stunts" and "wear my hat to the front, like I drive a truck," and like everything here, it's highly infectious. SremmLife can also be a surprisingly diverse and sure, as "Throw Some Mo" saddles up next to a strip clubbin' Nicki Minaj with so much swagger that no one will bother to check these kid's I.D.s. Big Sean's feature lands on "YNO," a crucial cut that's one-part zombie walk, one-part come-up anthem ("Tokyo drift through the hills/Used to have to walk, no wheels"). There are moments when the LP feels a bit rushed, but there's also more refinement and purpose here than expected from such a supernova act. The coming-of-age and kinetic SremmLife reminds listeners that jumping into "poppa's chair" was a thrilling mix of pride and new opportunities, plus, the album doubles as a guaranteed party soundtrack. ~ David Jeffries

こういう髪型がまた流行ってんのね……と思わせられるジャケだが、それも踏まえて大雑把に言えば、ソウルジャ・ボーイ以降の世代感から生まれたクリス・クロス(キッドゥン・プレイか?)みたいな感じか。バウアーとの共演でも知られるレイ・シュリマーは、2014年"No Flex Zone"と"No Type"の連続ヒットで脚光を浴びたミシシッピ発のラップ・デュオ。この初作でも後見人のマイク・ウィル・メイド・イットが全編を統括し、ベース・ヘヴィーなビートと一体化したチャントや、変声も交えたフューチャー的な粘着フロウがズルズルと楽しめる。ヤング・サグと共に駆けつけたニッキー・ミナージュが予想通り相性抜群な"Throw Sum Mo"など、低体温なノリとバカ騒ぎが共存した現代式パーティー・クランクの快作だ。
bounce (C)轟ひろみ