Fatboi Sharif is an emcee from New Jersey who emerged in the mid-2010s with a distinct style and a ton of charisma. He has really hit his stride in the past couple of years, starting with the release of Gandhi Loves Children in 2021, and Preaching in Havana in 2022. Just this past January, we got an EP from Sharif and Roper Williams, Planet Unfaithful. Now he’s teamed up with producer steel tipped dove to make his debut on Backwoodz Studioz, Decay.

Sometimes pairings just make sense, like the universe has finally lined up and everything is as it should be. That’s the feeling I got when Fatboi Sharif paired up with steel tipped dove and Backwoodz Studioz. steel tipped dove is a veteran producer who has worked with everyone from Alaska to cunabear to Noah23, just to name a few. He’s versatile, but he is someone who is comfortable in the dark and grimy world of East Coast underground hip hop. He’s also worked on several Backwoodz Studioz releases, including his own solo album, which also celebrates that style of hip hop, with a roster that includes billy woods, ELUCID, Shrapknel, and SKECH185. All of this fits Fatboi Sharif to a tee, who has been carving out his own niche with these incredibly challenging and dark experimental hip hop projects. This is all to say that Decay more than delivers on the promise of the meeting of these minds. steel tipped dove is able to go into his bag and drop some of his weirdest, darkest, most psychedelic beats, creating this woozy and eerie soundscape that will always leave you wondering what’s coming around the corner. Fatboi Sharif feeds off of that energy, and he goes to town on the mic, hitting you with this dense and abstract poetry that is filled with pop culture references, history lessons, philosophical ponderings, and a wry sense of humor. It’s the type of album you really need to listen to in a one-on-one setting, because there’s no way you’re going to catch everything the first time through. However, the album is so compelling and unexpected, you are absolutely going to want to listen to it a second, third, and fourth time so you can start to unpack all that’s going on with Decay.

Decay is not for the faint of heart or the casual hip hop fan. But for those that are willing to take a chance on something different and a bit more challenging and experimental, steel tipped dove and Fatboi Sharif have teamed up to give us one of the most unique albums of the year.