Critical Thot [Cassette]

Critical Thot is the bold new collaborative album from Bay Area-based rapper/producerSha Ray, and producer/electronic musician DJ Haram-two uncompromising artistsreshaping rap and experimental sound. It is an intriguing pairing; Haram is one-half ofthe duo 700 Bliss with rapper and poet Moor Mother and has several solo records underher belt-including 2025's critically acclaimed Beside Myself (Hyperdub)-and highprofile collaborations with BbyMutha, Fever Ray, Ghais Guevara, and Armand Hammer.Meanwhile, although Critical Thot is Sha Ray's official debut album, her reputation as anext-wave talent precedes her. Haram got wise in 2022 when she saw Sha Ray performat a show in Brooklyn."We spoke at the venue and after that I followed her on social media. She gave anincredible performance, so later on when she slid in my DMs asking for beats, I wasalready on board," Haram explains.An Armand Hammer/DJ Haram show in LA was the nexus for these connections toyield fruit. Sha Ray flew down from the Bay to link with Haram, and although the twodidn't end up recording anything that day, it was the springboard for the cross-countrycollaboration 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 sendback demos and notes. They got to know each other as artists, and as people, while theyworked on this project."Haram and I have had so many overlapping experiences working as women in themusic industry, which really enriched our bond. That, and her very striking approach toproduction, 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 bein a class of her own, navigating even the knottiest of DJ Haram productions withouttaking her foot off the gas. Haram digs deep into her bag with beats that run the gamutfrom experimental and abrasive to slinky fun to darkly foreboding. Percussive thuds andshots are layered with intricate details and soft linings. A trappy banger dissolves intoa flood of strings. A sparse industrial soundscape slowly coheres into a cacophonousuppercut of a rap record. Sha Ray bobs and weaves her way through every drum breakand synth with a defiant ease."As a rapper I'm pretty exclusively interested in interrogating misogyny and sexuality inmy work. Critical Thot is a deliberation on unapologetic feminine authority, while beingvery 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 ondefining power in feminine sexuality as relational and ever-shifting, and thus inherentlyimperfect. 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.