Pandemic or not, some hustles just never cease. “If money is the root of all evil / I guess you can color me… green,” coos Smoke King’s debut song “Paper Bag,” exuding an effortless cool even amid a crisis.
The new Washington, D.C.-based duo reunites two members of DIY rap collective Barf Troop, pairing songwriters Evil and Simpson (FKA Babeo Baggins and Babe Simpson, respectively) together again after years of pursuing their solo careers.
A low-key combo of lofi rock and hip-hop, “Paper Bag” takes a very 2020 approach to the experimental tendencies that Barf Troop took a triumphant crack at with their tape Summerslime.
“Hey everyone, long time no original post…” Evil shared on the Barf Troop tumblr page. “We started a little fun thing online with some friends we met on tumblr. we took some time apart, grew in different ways, told different stories and now we’ve come back together to bring you smoke king. I love making country music and I will continue to do so but my life was lacking without making rap tracks with my very best friend. So happy to have met a wonderful human and built a musical life with them online. Smoke king is me and simpson coming together bringing good vibezzz for your ears.”
Get in on those vibezzz below.