From the music, to the politics, to the bold aesthetic presentation that accompanies the music... Brooklyn-based producer/electronic musician DJ Haram and San Francisco MC SHA RAY were a match made in heaven. Their shared love for experimental, boundary-pushing sound, and radical political messaging coalesce beautifully in their amazing new album, Critical Thot, released on Backwoodz Studioz.
In this episode, we dig into the creative process and bold sound of Critical Thot, the strange discourse surrounding femme rap, the power of feminine sexuality explored through their album, and much more that will make you think, and laugh along the way as well.
Critical Thot is a serious AOTY contender for 2026. Make sure you stay tuned to learn more about it.
The Plug (0:45).
The Interview (2:10).
Haram and SHA RAY’s relationship beginnings (2:38).
Initial musical impressions of Haram and SHA RAY's music (4:16).
Expectations for the listener's reception of Critical Thot (9:03).
Experience of working together as two femme musicians (13:10).
Similarities between Haram and SHA RAY as artists and people (20:09).
SHA RAY’s artistic development (26:37).
The creative process of Critical Thot (32:30).
Feminine power and sexuality in Critical Thot (39:13).
Femme rap and misogyny (46:50).
Haram’s sonic approach to Critical Thot (57:58).
Upcoming projects / tour dates / merch (1:10:49).
Rapping in a corset - patron q from Dan-O (1:14:02).
Buy Critical Thot here: https://backwoodzstudioz.com/collections/sha-ray-dj-haram-critical-thot
Follow SHA RAY on Twitter here: https://x.com/kanekalonia
Follow DJ Haram on Twitter here: https://x.com/premiumharam
Follow SHA RAY on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/kanekalonia/
Follow DJ Haram on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/djharam/
Edited by: Alyssa Rodriguez
Intro/Outro beat by: BLOODBLIXING
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