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Kari Faux

“REAL B*TCHES DON’T DIE!,” the third LP from Little Rock rapper Kari Faux, dropped on Friday, May 26. Major publications have been paying attention. Today, Pitchfork published a glowing review of the record, calling it a “raucous, eclectic rap album that pays tribute to the ancestors, loved ones, and inspirations that showed her the way.”

Check out this Little Rock Nine nod in the opening paragraph:

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Arkansas, 1957. Elizabeth Eckford walks to school. In her black shades, she emanates coolness. Upon arrival, a vicious crowd barricades the entrance, a moment now immortalized in U.S. history. White mothers, fathers, students, military men contort their faces. Some spit. Most hurl vile threats. All of them bank on this 15-year-old student not returning the next day. But she did, day after day. Four decades later, Kari Faux would attend Little Rock Central High School, too. Her new album REAL B*TCHES DON’T DIE! channels the resilience of Black Southern women. Its motto: “Y’all niggas ain’t stoppin’ shit!”

And here’s some of what Faux’s press release has to say about the album:

Though the heart of the project’s sound is steeped in the Arkansas native’s much-needed return to the South after some time in Los Angeles, the album transcends regionality and bends genres. The synergy between Faux and [producer] Phoelix is potent. REAL B*TCHES DON’T DIE! is infused with gospel, hip-hop, and R&B elements and accented by humorous and affirming transitions. To fully immerse herself in the creative process, Faux spent a year in self-induced isolation where she avoided consuming newly released music; reaching back in time to enhance her unique musical style. REAL B*TCHES DON’T DIE! is a sonic testimony to Faux’s growth. In her most original work to date, she’s confident, assured, and still moving at her own pace. Her spirit shines as she exemplifies what it means to be an underdog who always places the highest bet on themselves.

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