Music of Friday, 24 March 2023

Source: Francis Amissah

Slut Boy Billy lays the groundwork for his industry takeover with striking debut EP 'Mineral Rock’

Ghanaian rapper, Slut Boy Billy Ghanaian rapper, Slut Boy Billy

Americanized-Italian-Ghanaian rapper, Billy Affou professionally known as Slut Boy Billy tags producer, Chensee Beatz for his debut EP, ‘Mineral Rock’, doubling down on his polarizing aesthetic to cement his brand of emo rap in the leanest frame possible.

Whatever end of the aisle you find yourself in when Slut Boy Billy is the topic of discussion, there’s no denying the baby-voiced artist and actor is mad fun with an ego to match it all. After his industry debut and subsequent releases, it was clear he didn’t care about pandering to the mainstream and just wanted to do his thing.

He is a self-ascribed innovator anyway and underneath all the attention-nabbing crop tops and showbiz shenanigans - like his recent butt-naked post on Instagram, Slut Boy Billy’s next move can only stupefy.

He is undeniably his competition and this is the code to which his debut EP faithfully adheres.

Too short and edgy to pass on, ‘Mineral Rock’ is more of a teaser into the quirky world of Slut Boy Billy. One can even argue it only exists to appease the multicultural rapper's burgeoning fanbase and feed fuel to the hype that surrounds his craft and they might be right.

Regardless, the new EP cements Slut Boy Billy’s now familiar formula: tying loose verses and hooks together in a dynamic package that emulates high-pitched ramblings crashing into and out of each other. The ‘Draco’ star executes this with uncanny finesse, doubling down on his polarizing aesthetic as promised. And as with anything he does, there’s an entertaining quality to it. It’s striking!

Growing up in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, (01201 Berkshire County), you best believe ‘Mineral Rock’ is all about that foreign wave. ‘Killer’ gets the record going with Slut Boy Billy aptly weaving in a barrage of bars that get a nod from us.

He's playful, loud and confident, introducing his audience to some new lexicons: ‘hoochie’ likely to be the most intriguing. ‘My Life Like a Movie’ ups the crescendo by a hundred and lives to the expectation its title sets.

Slut Boy Billy’s flow is outright infectious on this one, flush with a repetitive mid-rhyme scheme that yields some of the coolest verses on the EP: ‘You know what a dog wants', 'just a lil treat’ and ‘I’ve been moving hella keys', 'pushing hella P-Ps, but I ain’t Gunna', I ain’t ever snitched’.

In the end, Slut Boy Silly’s debut EP is a good teaser of what he can do. The pay-off for buying into the vibe he creates is catchy and enormous enough to keep both internet trolls and wandering fans at bay. It might not be for everyone, but the rising MC achieves an appeal that is unmistakably his: a distinct groove that has him pose as a slick lover boy, real nigga and a thug, all in the leanest frame possible.