{"product_id":"dj-haram-sha-ray-critical-thot-vinyl","title":"DJ Haram \u0026 Sha Ray - Critical Thot - Vinyl","description":"\u003cp\u003eCritical Thot is the bold new collaborative album from Bay Area-based rapper\/producer\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSha Ray, and producer\/electronic musician DJ Haram-two uncompromising artists \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ereshaping rap and experimental sound. It is an intriguing pairing; Haram is one-half of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ethe duo 700 Bliss with rapper and poet Moor Mother and has several solo records under \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eher belt-including 2025's critically acclaimed Beside Myself (Hyperdub)-and high \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eprofile collaborations with BbyMutha, Fever Ray, Ghais Guevara, and Armand Hammer. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMeanwhile, although Critical Thot is Sha Ray's official debut album, her reputation as a \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003enext-wave talent precedes her. Haram got wise in 2022 when she saw Sha Ray perform \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eat a show in Brooklyn. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"We spoke at the venue and after that I followed her on social media. She gave an \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eincredible performance, so later on when she slid in my DMs asking for beats, I was \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ealready on board,\" Haram explains. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAn Armand Hammer\/DJ Haram show in LA was the nexus for these connections to \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eyield fruit. Sha Ray flew down from the Bay to link with Haram, and although the two \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003edidn't end up recording anything that day, it was the springboard for the cross-country \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ecollaboration that culminated in Critical Thot. The whole album was made remotely: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHaram cooking up beats in Brooklyn and sending them to Sha Ray, who would send \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eback demos and notes. They got to know each other as artists, and as people, while they \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eworked on this project. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Haram and I have had so many overlapping experiences working as women in the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003emusic industry, which really enriched our bond. That, and her very striking approach to \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eproduction, really inspired a lot of the writing on this record,\" Sha Ray says. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThat writing is razor sharp and refreshingly direct. Sha Ray quickly proves herself to be \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ein a class of her own, navigating even the knottiest of DJ Haram productions without \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003etaking her foot off the gas. Haram digs deep into her bag with beats that run the gamut \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003efrom experimental and abrasive to slinky fun to darkly foreboding. Percussive thuds and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eshots are layered with intricate details and soft linings. A trappy banger dissolves into \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ea flood of strings. A sparse industrial soundscape slowly coheres into a cacophonous \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003euppercut of a rap record. Sha Ray bobs and weaves her way through every drum break \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eand synth with a defiant ease. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"As a rapper I'm pretty exclusively interested in interrogating misogyny and sexuality in \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003emy work. Critical Thot is a deliberation on unapologetic feminine authority, while being \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003every honest about the complicated truth of being a participant in self-objectification, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eand sexuality as a social currency,\" Sha Ray elaborates. \"This record focuses a lot on \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003edefining power in feminine sexuality as relational and ever-shifting, and thus inherently \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eimperfect. However, it is a power that I have and I am going to use it.\" \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCritical Thot features contributions from Nappy Nina, JWords, and Archangel.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eTracks:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"aec-tracknum\"\u003e1\u003c\/span\u003e The Material\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"aec-tracknum\"\u003e2\u003c\/span\u003e Champagne and Bouquet\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"aec-tracknum\"\u003e3\u003c\/span\u003e Thot Daughter\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"aec-tracknum\"\u003e4\u003c\/span\u003e Hey Queen Ft. Nappy Nina \u0026amp; J Words\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"aec-tracknum\"\u003e5\u003c\/span\u003e Shole Ain't\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"aec-tracknum\"\u003e6\u003c\/span\u003e Strictly Ft. Archangel\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"aec-tracknum\"\u003e7\u003c\/span\u003e Low End Skeeza\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"aec-tracknum\"\u003e8\u003c\/span\u003e Elixir\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"aec-tracknum\"\u003e9\u003c\/span\u003e Boudoir\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"All Media Supply","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53518889156915,"sku":null,"price":33.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0754\/8859\/2179\/files\/4510094-3598099.jpg?v=1781904467","url":"https:\/\/pancakes-records.com\/products\/dj-haram-sha-ray-critical-thot-vinyl","provider":"PANCAKES RECORDS","version":"1.0","type":"link"}