REVIEW: Sheck Wes, MUDBOY

Sheck Wes, MUDBOY (Cactus Jack/G.O.O.D. Music/Interscope)

Sheck Wes’s “Mo Bamba” has blown up. Its nearly syllabic flow is refreshingly at odds with the inescapable maximalist “Migos sound.” MUDBOY, Sheck’s debut album, also sounds like no one else in current mainstream rap. “Mindfucker” opens the album, and with its grimy synthesizers and eerie humming, comes excitingly close to full-blown horror rap. “Fuck Everybody” is an expression of pure fury; “Fuck school!” could be corny coming from another artist, but Sheck screams it so forcefully it seems to border on therapy. “Live Sheck Wes” encapsulates what’s so impressive about Sheck Wes’s first project: it’s technically impressive, overflowing with emotion and irrepressibly hype. 8/10 Trial Track: “Live Sheck Wes”