Rapper Hodgy Beats and producer Left Brain comprise MellowHype, an offshoot of the viral rap collective Odd Future. Much of the "mellow" has been scrubbed away from their previously free debut, and what remains is a chaotic shootout with nameless adversaries: Titles include "Gunsounds," "Igotagun," and "Gunz (Bonus Track)." Though lyrically impressive, Hodgy's staccato flows can be grating, and at times they clash with the dramatic cadence of Left Brain's speaker-eaters. While Odd Future alpha male Tyler, the Creator (who shows up as a guest here) seems genuinely tortured, Hodgy's anger sounds particularly adolescent. "Forgetting to study up for my final in the morning," he brags, then punctuates with, of course, "Fuck it." BlackenedWhite is rage for rage's sake: L.A. gangsta rap for the swag generation that die-hard fans will eagerly lap up, but will inspire few think pieces.

Listen to "Igotagun":

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“Too Close”

Next was formed in Minneapolis when the uncle of Terry "T-Low" and Raphael "Tweety" Brown, who was a gospel choir director, introduced the brothers to Robert Lavelle "R.L." Huggar. Sounds of Blackness singer Ann Nesby groomed the R&B group before handing them over to Naughty by Nature's KayGee, who wrote and produced "Too Close." The idea for the song was sparked "from a conversation we had with several girls at a nightclub," explained T-Low. "It's talking about the club scene, with guys getting out of hand and the female telling him to back up, asking, 'What are you doing?'"