Brockhampton leader Kevin Abstract has shared a brand new song with British rapper Slowthai and American rapper $NOT, ‘Slugger’.
Featuring a laid back soul sample contrasted with an insistently driving beat, ‘Slugger’ is a workout for Abstract’s production and MC skills as he takes on the majority of the song’s elements. Left to their own verses, Slowthai and $NOT take a less manic approach than Abstract for their contributions.
The contrast between the three vocalists is startling: $NOT’s deeper and faster-paced flow is more stream of consciousness and plays immediately after Abstract’s frantic and hyper-specific first verse memorialising rapper Pimp C and giving a shout out to Lauryn Hill’s tardiness when showing up to concerts, among other lines.
For his part, Slowthai is more reference heavy on his verse, giving clever shout outs to Michelin, David and Goliath, and John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. Whether it’s his balance of lighter and darker themes or just his different tone, Slowthai’s verse plays as the most enjoyable of the three.
‘Slugger’ is the second collaboration from Slowthai and Abstract following the 2019 effort ‘Heaven Belongs to You’. Abstract announced on Twitter that his next solo album will come out at some point this year, making it the third full length release from Abstract following Brockhampton’s Roadrunner: New Light, New Machine and the group’s upcoming seventh studio album, which is rumoured to be the band’s last.
Brockhampton are scheduled to tour behind Roadrunner: New Light, New Machine in the first months of 2022. Slowthai was most recently featured on French rapper Laylow’s album L’Etrange Histoire de Mr.Anderson. $NOT shared a snippet of a new track on his Instagram page last week. The rapper notched his first appearance on the UK charts earlier this year with ‘Tell Em’.
Check out the audio for ‘Slugger’ featuring Slowthai and $NOT down below.