WHO'S THIS: TiRon & Ayomari
FROM WHERE: TiRon hails from the midwest by way of Chicago. Ayomari is from ATL but lives in Los Angeles.
WHY YOU SHOULD LISTEN: Both rappers have solo careers, however, last year they came together to give the masses a stellar album by the name of A Sucker for Pumps on Valentine’s Day that bested expectations and broke new ground.
MUSIC SOUNDS LIKE: A lot of things. No, seriously. There are songs like “All My Love” featuring singer Yummy Bingham (remember her?) that recall the days of boom bap rap. The Slick Rick sound really brings the old school feel full circle. Others don’t sound like traditional hip hop at all. For example, “If I Had You” has strong house music overtones with Brazilian samba flavorings, while “Lot On Your Mind,” featuring beatnich, sounds like electronic folk music. The fact that they're able to rhyme over all kinds of genre-bending music really speaks to the wide scope of auditory options for listeners. As clichéd as it sounds, there really is something for every kind of listener on this LP. Non-rap fans can give it a spin too.
YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD THEM ON: In 2010, Ayomari released his mixtape The PB&J Solution and TiRon put out MSTRD.
MUST-LISTEN TRACKS: Album opener “Jack Kerouac” is a good place to start. It’s a reflective track about past relationships complete with violins to bring the somber mood home. Seriously, why aren’t there more violins in hip hop? The hypnotic-sounding “The Neighbors” is a fun song about neighbors hating on the more, ahem, physical side of love. “Perfect” centers around a woman’s self-confidence issues told through the eyes of a man. Cool subject matter.The duo even got hip-hop journalist dream hampton to exhibit her famous way with words on “Denouement.” Honestly, the album is listenable all the way through, which is rare in a time of singles-only musicians.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS: “I wouldn’t necessarily say we’re a duo,” TiRon told hiphopfiend.org. “We just like making music together. I’m not afraid to be wack in front of him, so we make some really really dope shit. All because he can see my best and he can see my worst."
