When Seattle producer JAKE ONE got his hands on Portugal. The Man’s ‘Evil Friends’, picked apart the more down-tempo parts and added in verses from rapper DANNY BROWN, he added more soul and sass to the cynical song.
While the original has a sombre subdued touch which breaks out into instrumentals, the remix brings vocals to the fore with a hip-hop flavour. Jake One opens the track with a trippy beat almost like an Outcast track.
The vibrant delivery of verses from Danny Brown amps up the energy from the original and smooths out the lo-fi fuzziness. He talks of handouts, magazines and pistols, smoking and passing out. And suddenly the lyrics acquire a new meaning: “Your mommas got nothing on me, your daddy’s got nothing on me.”
It still remains a mystery how a song can sound so peaceful but so menacing at the same time.
Danny Brown is set to release his next album Old on September 30.
Words by Antigone Anagnostellis.
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