I admit that I was drawn to this artist solely by his name, then he releases an album called Doris. I mean what can you do, I had to have it. And it turned out to be a good call. Released in the summer of 2013 Doris is a dark, murky and slightly disturbing album that earns its parental advisory sticker in the first bar, this is not one for all the family. It’s for anyone interested in down tempo hip hop and the reality behind the glamour projected by mainstream artists.
I am inclined to call Doris progressive hip hop, I can’t claim much expertise in this field but despite the language Sweatshirt is more erudite and intelligent than most. The backing is a variation on the house on the hill style pioneered by Cypress Hill, but deeper and heavier, there’s not a lot of light on Doris but it keeps you listening. Composer credits include David Axelrod, Holger Czukay, Jaki Liebezeit (Sweatshirt clearly digs Can) and Pharrell Williams among others. The list of featured artists and producers is naturally extensive. Not for all tastes Doris is a fascinating glimpse of the ‘Ferragamo doo-rag’ toting hip hop underworld.
By Jason Kennedy
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