RXK Nephew and Harry Fraud shine as a duo once the subject of steak comes up. On “Hunnid on the Dresser”, a highlight from their new mixtape Life after Neff, the Rochester rapper only lets out one diss before being distracted by a slab of sizzling meat. soon, he gets into a cooking so intense that his wrist is cut like a Thing in The Addams Family. Life after Neff it's full of the rapper's weird pop culture references and weird energy, but it also reflects his release strategy of throwing everything at the wall. (Check his YouTube channel: Chances are he uploaded a new song today, and it's not very similar to yesterday). Measured subtlety was a plus Nephew Onederful, June's tape with DJ Rude One, but here the beats feel overly polished. Instead of offering plenty of grooves for Neph to settle into, production continues Life after Neff it's too slippery for his signature flows to gain traction.
Fraud is a versatile partner. he's made a career out of mixing up his samples to match different styles of creative partners. At his best, Fraud's mellow touch accentuates Neph's soaring flourishes, keeping the beat steady beneath his verses. Neph sounds 12 feet tall over the eerie chorus of “How I'm Coming”; it is equally a command in the milder “RX Instructions”. The atmospheric “Hunnid on the Dresser” is a great property for Neph to take a more conversational approach to the chaotic one-liners that made “American TterroristtA classic (who else threatens Santa Claus with a hammer?) As he begins to become the boss of his own life, Neph says It tempers the unstable Slitherman persona that drove his early performance. On Life after Nef, he raps about innocuous topics like holiday sales and bowling with glitter loops, easy jazz twists, and even the interpolated melody of a Tears for Fears hit.
The highlight of the album is the final track, “Top Chef Neph”. 80s-style synths equipped with 808 clappers, a sweaty Neff enlists his girl to help him whip up another feast of epic proportions: Tomahawk steak, shark-infused seafood boil, and a loaded baked potato. The production reinforces the sensibility of the previous “Dub 4 U”. you can feel Nef hitting his stride as he rambles on about matters of taste. There's even a hint of his affinity for conspiracy theories: “Shut up, your food was 3D printed.”
