Kidd Called Quest is back with "Ferocious", a song that boasts the aggression of a midnight alley brawl, featuring boom-bap drums and razor-tipped lyricism. Pounding heartbeats with all the precision of a stopwatch, this fresh single is the most menacing thing to haunt our city since that well-known mountain lion slunk through our town. And in keeping with its title, "Ferocious" bites down and won’t let go.
Kidd Called Quest sets the dash on a moody, sample-based, grimy, striking, and drum-heavy instrumental in that accurate boom-bap manner. It’s the sort of beat that doesn’t just knock, it hunts. Into this battleground step two battle-ready mic elites, Philadelphia’s RJ Payne and Buffalo's breath snatcher, Pretty Bulli. RJ Payne comes through with acid bars and signature ferocity. Pretty Bulli responds in kind with razor-sharp poise and delivery just as relentless, precision equally refined. The two of them seem to bring out a mutually beneficial competitive instinct, and their chemistry sounds natural, like two apex predators yelling war cries at each other over thundering production.
This release caps off an impressive year for Kidd Called Quest, who has been dropping nothing but high-quality releases. From a “Night Lights” foray with Rochester’s Mooch of Da Cloth to an array of impressive collaborations with St. Paul’s Ken-C, and some fresh life breathed in alongside his YBG partner Azariah “Ferocious”, it feels like the victory lap of a producer in their prime. And with a music video on the way, the storm is only just brewing.
Unshaven, and true to its East Coast grit roots, “Ferocious” is not just a song, it’s the warning shot by Kidd Called Quest, RJ Payne, and Pretty Bulli.
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