![]() ![]() “We got kicked out the house to go to this show,” Slim Jxmmi said.īut it paid off: The group was invited to perform on BET’s countdown show “106 & Park,” giving the brothers a taste of what could be. At one point, the brothers went to perform at a showcase in Memphis over the protestations of their mother. The group first began as part of a trio called Dem Outta St8 Boyz, which attracted some local attention. “We were in our own little world of music,” Swae Lee recalled. When their mother and stepfather argued, they hid in their room, writing rhymes and producing beats. Slim Jxmmi and Swae Lee are brothers - Aaquil Brown, 22, and Khalif Brown, 21 - who grew up in Tupelo, Miss., and have been performing since they were teenagers. “Sometimes I want to yell on this track, I want to yell the whole song, and I don’t think nothing’s wrong with that, but the older generation feel like you can’t,” Slim Jxmmi said in an interview recently, Gucci ski goggles resting on his forehead just beneath an ocean of baby dreadlocks. ![]() Rae Sremmurd (pronounced ray shrim-MER) does both of these things extremely well, and on its debut album, “SremmLife” (Ear Drummer/Interscope), which is to be released in early January, they keep varying speeds and approaches, to powerful effect. A gothically slow song, it oozes along like a fever dream, less a boast than an incantation. By comparison, “No Type” - which was produced in part by Swae Lee - sounds like it comes from another planet. On top, Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi shriek and yelp and change their cadence on the fly, crowing like eager puppies. “No Flex Zone” is a bouncy howler - the beat moves from a whisper to pinballing angular percussion, cut through with sunbeam-bright synthesizer. They had two of the year’s most revelatory singles, “No Flex Zone” and “No Type,” outstanding songs that could not be more different. This year has been one of the dimmest in memory for hip-hop’s mainstream - established stars were quiet or underperforming, and apart from the shimmery bounce of DJ Mustard, there was hardly a movement to take note of.īut that also means it was a great year for outsiders to be heard, and no one exploited the gap like the young duo Rae Sremmurd - Slim Jxmmi and Swae Lee. ![]()
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