{"product_id":"dj-haram-sha-ray-critical-thot","title":"DJ HARAM \u0026 SHA RAY - Critical Thot","description":"\u003cp data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"547\"\u003e\u003cem data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"15\"\u003eCritical Thot\u003c\/em\u003e is the bold new collaborative album from Bay Area-based rapper\/producer \u003cstrong data-start=\"88\" data-end=\"99\"\u003eSha Ray\u003c\/strong\u003e, and producer\/electronic musician \u003cstrong data-start=\"134\" data-end=\"146\"\u003eDJ Haram\u003c\/strong\u003e — two uncompromising artists reshaping rap and experimental sound. It is an intriguing pairing; Haram is one-half of the duo \u003cstrong data-start=\"272\" data-end=\"285\"\u003e700 Bliss\u003c\/strong\u003e with rapper and poet \u003cstrong data-start=\"307\" data-end=\"322\"\u003eMoor Mother\u003c\/strong\u003e and has several solo records under her belt, including 2025’s critically acclaimed \u003cem data-start=\"406\" data-end=\"421\"\u003eBeside Myself\u003c\/em\u003e (\u003cstrong data-start=\"423\" data-end=\"435\" data-is-only-node=\"\"\u003eHyperdub\u003c\/strong\u003e), and high-profile collaborations with \u003cstrong data-start=\"475\" data-end=\"487\"\u003eBbyMutha\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong data-start=\"489\" data-end=\"502\"\u003eFever Ray\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong data-start=\"504\" data-end=\"521\"\u003eGhais Guevara\u003c\/strong\u003e, and \u003cstrong data-start=\"527\" data-end=\"544\"\u003eArmand Hammer\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"549\" data-end=\"948\"\u003eMeanwhile, although \u003cem data-start=\"569\" data-end=\"584\"\u003eCritical Thot\u003c\/em\u003e is Sha Ray’s official debut album, her reputation as a next-wave talent precedes her. Haram got wise in 2022 when she saw Sha Ray perform at a show in Brooklyn. “We spoke at the venue and after that I followed her on social media. She gave an incredible performance, so later on when she slid in my DMs asking for beats, I was already on board,” Haram explains.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"950\" data-end=\"1250\"\u003eAn Armand Hammer\/DJ Haram show in LA was the nexus for these connections to yield fruit. Sha Ray flew down from the Bay to link with Haram, and although the two didn’t end up recording anything that day, it was the springboard for the cross-country collaboration that culminated in \u003cem data-start=\"1232\" data-end=\"1247\"\u003eCritical Thot\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1252\" data-end=\"1725\"\u003eThe whole album was made remotely: Haram cooking up beats in Brooklyn and sending them to Sha Ray, who would send back demos and notes. They got to know each other as artists, and as people, while they worked on this project. “Haram and I have had so many overlapping experiences working as women in the music industry, which really enriched our bond. That, and her very striking approach to production, really inspired a lot of the writing on this record,” Sha Ray says.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1727\" data-end=\"2368\"\u003eThat writing is razor sharp and refreshingly direct. Sha Ray quickly proves herself to be in a class of her own, navigating even the knottiest of DJ Haram productions without taking her foot off the gas. Haram digs deep into her bag with beats that run the gamut from experimental and abrasive to slinky fun to darkly foreboding. Percussive thuds and shots are layered with intricate details and soft linings. A trappy banger dissolves into a flood of strings. A sparse industrial soundscape slowly coheres into a cacophonous uppercut of a rap record. Sha Ray bobs and weaves her way through every drum break and synth with a defiant ease.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2370\" data-end=\"2890\"\u003e“As a rapper I’m pretty exclusively interested in interrogating misogyny and sexuality in my work. \u003cem data-start=\"2469\" data-end=\"2484\"\u003eCritical Thot\u003c\/em\u003e is a deliberation on unapologetic feminine authority, while being very honest about the complicated truth of being a participant in self-objectification, and sexuality as a social currency,” Sha Ray elaborates. “This record focuses a lot on defining power in feminine sexuality as relational and ever-shifting, and thus inherently imperfect. However, it is a power that I have and I am going to use it.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2892\" data-end=\"2982\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\"\u003e\u003cem data-start=\"2892\" data-end=\"2907\"\u003eCritical Thot\u003c\/em\u003e features contributions from \u003cstrong data-start=\"2936\" data-end=\"2950\"\u003eNappy Nina\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong data-start=\"2952\" data-end=\"2962\"\u003eJWords\u003c\/strong\u003e, and \u003cstrong data-start=\"2968\" data-end=\"2981\"\u003eArchangel\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BACKWOODZ STUDIOZ \/ RHYMESAYERS ENTERTAINMENT","offers":[{"title":"Black Vinyl LP","offer_id":58036019528025,"sku":"SDZ-45713","price":39.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":58036019560793,"sku":"SDZ-45714","price":17.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false},{"title":"Cassette","offer_id":58036019593561,"sku":"SDZ-45715","price":18.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0588\/3455\/0945\/files\/4c0c9730c636fdabe4b6f68aecdec15b.png?v=1778509267","url":"https:\/\/spindizzyrecords.com\/products\/dj-haram-sha-ray-critical-thot","provider":"Spindizzy Dublin","version":"1.0","type":"link"}