NYC rapper-producer continues his momentum with lush, spacey new record
THERAVADA is a producer and rapper from New York who’s been gaining exposure lately thanks to his spacey beats and moody, cerebral flows. Yesterday he dropped a new beat-driven tape called clarity of escape, and it’s full of more of his signature, hypnotic, down-tempo psychedelic soundscapes. This of course follows his epic 91-song opus (!!!) Xennis Rodman, which he dropped last September.
Equal parts intense and relaxing, clarity of escape is a loose, meditative listening experience, consumed with loungey jazz notes, spooky atmospheric samples, and lackadaisical rhythms. On “cadett5,” an ominous banjo riff loops over a dazed trip-hop beat, while on the lo-fi-leaning “cg templates,” a sample of what sounds like a rusted-out gate or a rickety swing set repeats in the background underneath groovy, jazzy piano-driven textures. THERAVADA only raps on one track, killing it on the record’s smoky, reflective title track, and his verse is packed with imagery: “I got some shit they wanna buy/ Or was it destiny for me to thrive/ Could only ever follow my lead/ Quit tailgating in a hailstorm, 50-50 on consignment…” Like so many of his tracks, it’s short but fiery, and he makes every line count.
You can purchase clarity of escape HERE, and sample it below via Bandcamp.
