{"product_id":"850063560160","title":"GOLLIWOG | MUSIC CASSETTE","description":"\u003cp\u003eDJ Haram \u0026amp; Sha Ray, Critical Thot is the bold new collaborative album from Bay Area-based rapper\/producer  Sha Ray, and producer\/electronic musician DJ Haram-two uncompromising artists  reshaping rap and experimental sound. It is an intriguing pairing; Haram is one-half of  the duo 700 Bliss with rapper and poet Moor Mother and has several solo records under  her belt-including 2025's critically acclaimed Beside Myself (Hyperdub)-and high  profile collaborations with BbyMutha, Fever Ray, Ghais Guevara, and Armand Hammer.  Meanwhile, although Critical Thot is Sha Ray's official debut album, her reputation as a  next-wave talent precedes her. Haram got wise in 2022 when she saw Sha Ray perform  at a show in Brooklyn.  \"We spoke at the venue and after that I followed her on social media. She gave an  incredible performance, so later on when she slid in my DMs asking for beats, I was  already on board,\" Haram explains.  An Armand Hammer\/DJ Haram show in LA was the nexus for these connections to  yield fruit. Sha Ray flew down from the Bay to link with Haram, and although the two  didn't end up recording anything that day, it was the springboard for the cross-country  collaboration that culminated in Critical Thot. The whole album was made remotely:  Haram cooking up beats in Brooklyn and sending them to Sha Ray, who would send  back demos and notes. They got to know each other as artists, and as people, while they  worked on this project.  \"Haram and I have had so many overlapping experiences working as women in the  music industry, which really enriched our bond. That, and her very striking approach to  production, really inspired a lot of the writing on this record,\" Sha Ray says.  That writing is razor sharp and refreshingly direct. Sha Ray quickly proves herself to be  in a class of her own, navigating even the knottiest of DJ Haram productions without  taking her foot off the gas. Haram digs deep into her bag with beats that run the gamut  from experimental and abrasive to slinky fun to darkly foreboding. Percussive thuds and  shots are layered with intricate details and soft linings. A trappy banger dissolves into  a flood of strings. A sparse industrial soundscape slowly coheres into a cacophonous  uppercut of a rap record. Sha Ray bobs and weaves her way through every drum break  and synth with a defiant ease.  \"As a rapper I'm pretty exclusively interested in interrogating misogyny and sexuality in  my work. Critical Thot is a deliberation on unapologetic feminine authority, while being  very honest about the complicated truth of being a participant in self-objectification,  and sexuality as a social currency,\" Sha Ray elaborates. \"This record focuses a lot on  defining power in feminine sexuality as relational and ever-shifting, and thus inherently  imperfect. However, it is a power that I have and I am going to use it.\"  Critical Thot features contributions from Nappy Nina, JWords, and Archangel.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WOODS,BILLY","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48276129218805,"sku":"850063560160","price":13.29,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0681\/9325\/5669\/files\/4510096-3598101.jpg?v=1781681991","url":"https:\/\/thevinylvista.com\/products\/850063560160","provider":"Vinyl Vista","version":"1.0","type":"link"}