Pink Siifu is not a name that the vast majority reading this might know, however he is one of the most exciting names in underground hip hop right now: it’s my honor to introduce you to his world if you don’t already know of him.
Hailing from Birmingham, Ala., Siifu has been bending the limits of hip hop and even outright switching between genres since his 2018 critically acclaimed debut, “Ensley.” Ensley began his career with an incredible self-produced indie rap project about self-love and black pride filled with lyrical gems and lush production.
He returned in 2020 with a complete mood and genre shift with his punk rap album “Negro,” essentially capturing the rage and sadness within the black community directed at the government and police departments during the perilous and high tension times last year.
Both of these albums are masterpieces in their own right and carry a lot of weight and importance to our current day and age. After two completely different projects back to back, there was no telling where Siifu would go next with his third LP, “Gumbo’!”
He details in a recent interview that he began studying Prince’s writing and loved how Prince could switch between being “sexy and vulnerable” to being “hard and tough.”
He realized that those two polar opposite moods and feelings were both captured independently on his first two records, so with this new edition to his discography, Siifu blends both of his previous styles into yet another masterpiece.
“Gumbo’!” is nearly an hour long and comprises over 18 tracks, yet it never gets boring or dips into a low point. It opens with a beautiful jam session track that almost feels improvised with new instruments coming in at different times.
The album quickly dives into the one-two punch of “Wayans Bros.” and “Roscoe!”, two aggressive trap-esque songs with distorted vocals which Siifu says he recorded after listening to Playboi Carti’s “Whole Lotta Red.”
For the next significant portion of the album we see Siifu dive into the new sound he is experimenting with on this album. It is pretty hard to describe the sounds and do it justice, but while listening to songs 4-10, we get a vast array of instruments and synths.
Sometimes Siifu’s raps are heard clearly through the track and at other times they are heavily distorted and difficult to decipher. Siifu applies repetition in his choruses and lyrics more in “Gumbo’!” than in past projects, which does well in getting certain main themes across on each song.
There are two very notable beat placements on this album, the first being the legendary Alchemist on “Living Proof (Family)” and then Monte Booker on “Voicemails Uptown.” Both give an incredible performance with great examples of the soulful and psychedelic elements that “Gumbo’!” is built around.
I’m still trying to decipher an overall theme for this album as it seems a lot more laidback and fun than his past offerings, which were deep and filled with symbolism and abstract ideas.
There are songs that embody the aggression and political messages of “Negro” and others that take the abstract instrumentation and soulful lyrics of “Ensley,” and it all manages to mesh together very well without having an overarching mood and theme.
My favorite songs on this record are “Wayans Bros,” “Bussin (Cold),” “BACK’!,” “Living Proof (Family),” “Call tha Bro (Tapped In)” and “Big Ole.”
“Gumbo’!” By Pink Siifu is yet another outstanding addition to his discography and I can’t wait to see how he evolves from this project moving forward. If you have yet to listen to Siifu’s music, I recommend it wholeheartedly.
“Gumbo’!” By Pink Siifu: 9/10.
Weekly Album Recommendations:
Tha God Fahim – Dump Gawd: Shot Clock King Vol.2
Solemn Brigham – South Sinner Street
Youngboy Never Broke Again – Sincerely, Kentrell
CRIMEAPPLE & DJ MUGGS – Cartagena
Weekly Song Recommendations
Midwxst & Ka$hdami – LA
Reggie & Smino – Avalanche
Mike Dimes – No Trends
