Duncecap is an emcee from Brooklyn who has been releasing music for the past eight years as a solo artist, but he’s also worked as part of The Karma Kids. He made his debut on Backwoodz Studioz in 2019 EP miserable then, produced by ELUCID. His most recent album came in 2020, when he dropped Resting Dunce Face. Now he’s back with a new project, teaming up with Brooklyn producer Hajino to release Go Climb a Tree.

Go Climb a Tree might look like an album on its surface, but it plays more like an old school mixtape in practice. By that, I mean that Hajino and Duncecap are keeping the tracks short, not focusing on hooks, instead just laying down some abstract beats and rhymes and keeping things moving as they go from track to track. For the project, Hajino is cooking up some really interesting and off-kilter grooves that are way off in left field. They usually settle on some sort of pocket, but he never likes his beats to get too settled – he’s always going to find a way to mix things up and introduce new elements at unexpected moments to keep everyone on their toes. Duncecap is great with the abstract rhymes to match the beats, with a dark and sarcastic sense of humor that can give way to some stream-of-conscious rhymes or just free association. He’s also being joined by a guest on about half the tracks, to keep up with the old school mix tape feeling. As you work your way through the project, we get rhymes from MC Eleven, Googie, Fielded, Akai Solo, Rich Jones, and Quelle Chris. Everyone does a nice job of adding some flavor to the project, but Googie damn near steals the show the way he’s able to come in with a lot presence on the mic and just bounce around the beat with his flow on “What a Day.”

Go Climb a Tree feels like a project from another era, in the best way possible. This is about beats and rhymes, getting weird, and just making art with your friends with little to no rules.