Live Review: BadBadNotGood & Ghostface Killah ft. MF Doom ‘Ray Gun’

I don’t know about you, but I think the collaborative efforts between Canadian jazz-hop trio BADBADNOTGOOD and the legendary GHOSTFACE KILLAH are definitely one of my most anticipated releases of 2015 so far.

‘Sour Soul’ is due to be released in the US on the 24th of Feb via LEX Records. Creating and moulding their base sound on what I would call the foundations of hip hop, they’ve brought it right back, but they’ve also pushed it even further along.

Interestingly, GHOSTFACE KILLAH and MF DOOM also have a collaborative LP due to be released later this year under the moniker of DOOMSTARKS. ‘Ray Gun’ is the second single to be taken from the forthcoming album, and like ‘Gunshowers’, it continues to solidify BADBADNOTGOOD’s place as incredibly complex musicians with a rare natural apt for creating something that defies boundaries.

There’s so much to be said about the way this track has been put together, but for me, the real standout moment is the final orchestral line. It is dark and definitely follows suit with the superhero theme GHOSTFACE KILLAH and MF DOOM have put into place since the get go. The deep brass that remains quite dissonant with the spiked tonic of the scale provided by the bass-y piano line is most prominent. It is this paired with the screeching, haunting nature of the strings and the suspicious percussive line that I think, really rounds out the track.

It’s a collaboration made in heaven, one most people would not expect and one that certainly came right out of left field. But when it comes right down to it, this track is just too big to not care about. It’s set up the LP so well, and if anything, I’m more excited than ever to hear what else has come from this collaboration.

Words by Caitlin Medcalf

LISTEN TO NEW MUSIC HERE

SEE ALSO:

FUTURE ISLAND ‘SEASONS’ (BADBADNOTGOOD INTERPRETATION)

BADBADNOTGOOD & GHOSTFACE KILLAH ‘GUNSHOWERS’ FT. ELZHI

JJ DOOM ‘GUV’NOR’ (BADBADNOTGOOD VERSION)