ZayAllCAPS' latest project is a love letter to the blog era and early internet culture.
Out of all the projects that heavily feature the use of autotune, From The Strokes to Charlie xcx, L.A's ZayAllCaps reigns supreme.
My Uncle Told Me Some Real Ass S*it On The Phone is the latest drop from Los Angeles based rapper, producer ZayALLCAPS and comes just one year after his internet capturing project, the stylistically focused and ambitious art Pop* pop Art. M.U.T.M.S.R.A.S.O.T.P follows through on some of the earlier influences and directions as the previous projects while building on those same foundations for more forward thinking elements. Both feature an ensemble of vibrant, charismatic characters, most of whom are Zay's personal friends outside of music, zany chord progressions, and a confident, auto-tuned drenched vibrato that carries the hook.
Right off the bat, you can tell that this is a more intimate project, one that follows a more in depth concept; filled with voicemail messages, reprises, and interpersonal lines. While the previous project had a stylish touch on Zay's everyday, this new project makes work on building off more mature concepts. Despite have a serious tone in its presentation, Zay still keeps it refreshingly relaxed. Through the intimate lines touching on insecurity and lack of motivation, he always manages to find moments of whimsy and silly antics, as demonstrated on the staple “Satellite.” "Satellite" follows a twenty second intro of a voicemail recanting a famed quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson, that "every artist was first an amateur." The opening lines on "Satellite" follow through with a much more melancholic tinted sway, adding to this established unease of artistry. The light hearted, cozy tempoed beat slowly builds a sense of comfort throughout the track only to land on a comic note in the form of a voicemail from Zay's close acquittance.
M.U.T.M.S.R.A.S.O.T.P gives ample room for Zay to explore other avenues of his creative side, while still staying true to his relaxed nature. There are multiple moments to point to where he challenges himself as a producer and writer, while maintaining his whimsical brand of stylish flows and confident, sung choruses. The biggest moment where these elements collide is on the triumphant "CHANGEZ." "Satellite" offers an avenue for more vulnerable lyricism to appear, but "CHANGEZ" brings a moment where Zay challenges himself on every song construction front and is heavily rewarded for it. The chopped, slowed down vocal sample and spacey chord progression in the instrumental matched with hardened lyricism exploring relationship struggles, along with the auto-tuned AND background singer assisted bridge completes it on all ends, really resulting in a perfect song.
Zay is a one of the main producers present, providing on almost every track on the album, bringing with him a moderate approach to drum programming, but also a sense of love of digital culture. He shows this heavily through his sample uses. They're less focused on adding to the background instrumental but bring a more light hearted energy to the track. There are sporadic moments where Zay jumps from sampling more out of pocket elements like the chorus from “Throw That Ass In A Circle” to indulging in live instrumentation. The production side of the album gives Zay a lot of room to experiment with other technical elements, like his use of auto-tune mixed with his use of the greatest musical tool of all time, the vocoder.
Zay's personality shines through on every aspect of the album, teetering the border of laid-back and avant garde. Every feature present is a close friend of his outside of music and the chemistry shows in every appearance. A lot more care and procision is put into the production quality, showcasing Zay's relaxed nature in the crafting process while dropping some of the most forward thinking production of this year.
Stream My Uncle Told Me Some Real Ass S*it On The Phone out now on all platforms and follow ZayALLCAPS Here:
