Tag: JVB Records

Joey Valence & Brae – “Hyperyouth” review

State College, Pennsylvania emcee/production duo Joey Valence & Brae making their major label debut with their 3rd studio LP. Although their 2022 debut EP The Underground Sound was moderately received, their debut album Punk Tactics would go on to earn significantly improved positive reception & the sophomore effort No Hands catapulted their into popularity, garnering comparisons to the Beastie Boys. So much that the Sony Music subsidiary RCA Records gave these guys full artistic control ahead of Hyperyouth.

The title track samples “Like a Punk” along with “Bangarang” by Skrillex & “Block Rockin’ Beats” by The Chemical Brothers to encapsulate the fear of growing up whereas “Bust Down” featuring TiaCorine talks about never changing, including a dig taken at Sydney Sweeney following the controversial American Eagle ad she recently did that would make Ye or the Nazi formerly known as Kanye West proud.

“Give it to Me” expresses the modern day equivalent of the Beastie Boys’ desires of their future partners being badder than Bebe Rexha herself leading into “Is This Love?” talking about loving the women they’re currently seeing more than the FL Studio program itself as well as being married to the game & refusing to go out to clubs because of anxiety getting the best of them.

Rebecca Black of all people teams up with JVB on “See U Dance” for a contemporary R&B, pop rap, dance-pop & Atlanta bass crossover talking about wanting to watch women dancing while “Party’s Over” comes out the gate with a reference to former IWGPヘビー級王座 as well as a 10-time WWE world champion & former UFC Heavyweight Champion in both TKO Group Holdings divisions Brock Lesnar.

“Wassup” featuring JPEGMAFIA finds the trio teaming up for a hardcore hip hop single showing secondary influences of Miami bass & crunk music chopping up careers together while “Live Right” gets the 2nd half going talks about the fear of growing up. “Billie Jean” breaks down the type of music they like to hear at the club giving props to the late Michael Jackson while “Have to Cry” samples “Cry” by Bobby Caldwell to get vulnerable.

Meanwhile on “The Party Song”, we have JVB dabbling with industrial hip hop for an ode to getting wild just before “Myself” takes a mellow boom bap approach instrumentally asking if you can do it like them. “Go Hard” featuring TiaCorine finds the trio dropping braggadocio sampling “Planet Rock” by Afrika Bambataa while “Disco Tomorrow” finishes the pairing’s major label debut by talking about not playing with their hearts.

Birthed from Joey Valence & Brae’s experiences in the clubs of very little individuals sharing the same excitement & expression for music as them, they ditch the mid-school hip hop aesthetics of much of their previous material in favor of existential club music. Their production focuses less around the mid-school hip hop elements of their earlier stuff in favor of hardcore hip hop, boom bap, pop rap, electronic dance music, Miami bass, Atlanta bass, crunk, industrial hip hop, contemporary R&B, dance-pop to explore themes of love, dance, maturing & authenticity.

Score: 4.5/5

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Joey Valence & Brae – “No Hands” review

Joey Valence & Brae are an MC/production duo from State College, Pennsylvania consisting of 2 friends meeting during their freshman year at Penn State University. Introducing themselves off their debut EP The Underground Sound to moderate reception, these guys’ debut album Punk Tactics would eventually go on to earn more positive reception & the sophomore effort prompted me to hear it since it quickly became amongst the most celebrated hip hop releases of this summer.

“Bussit” comes straight out the gate with both of them naturally going back-&-forth with each other over an instrumental that feels reminiscent of the Beastie Boys feeling like WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg the way they be toastin’ the most but after the dustily raw “Packapunch” featuring Danny Brown references the machines used in the Zombie mode of Call of Duty, the jazzier title track finds the pair talking about living like it’s double XP weekend.

EDM & hip hop cross paths with one another on “Like a Punk” suggesting that all the cool kids in the bus head straight for the back since the time to rave is now whereas “Where U From?” suggests for women to not speak to them since they’re doing it for attention over a beat combining nerdy, hardcore east coast hip hop with boom bap, mid-school hip hop & hardcore breaks.

“The Baddest” featuring Ayesha Erotica on the remix was a humorously boastful Miami bass/crunk single asking who the illest ones in the club are now that they’ve pulled up to the spot themselves & once “OK” returns to the boom bap with a mid-school spin to it talking about how they stay getting it going on, “Doughboy” featuring Terror Reid finds the trio looking to get some bread of their own.

Moving on from there, “What U Need?” brings the EDM influences back in full effect boasting about them being more fly than Baby Keem prior to the rage-inducing big beat single “John Cena”homaging the 16-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE tag team champion & 5-time WWE United States Champion of the same name. 

“Omnitrix” concludes the standard edition of No Hands giving their props to the Discovery Global-owned Cartoon Network series Ben 10 while “Pineapple Fried Rice” starts the deluxe run referencing 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, former 16-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, 6-time WWE United States Champion, 6-time WWE tag team champion & 9-time NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair.

Hardcore hip hop, mid-school hip hop, breakbeat, nerdcore & Philly club rap all get combined into the single “Can’t Stop Now” talking about them preferring to brawl than melee as a nod to the Nintendo-owned Super Smash Bros. & the final bonus track “Freaks” advises anyone who didn’t come out to party to hit the bricks so any outcast or outcasts like them can dance.

Forcing you to be confident in yourself and do things simply because they make you happy, Joey Valence & Brae’s comparison to the Beastie Boys becomes increasingly justifiable by entering their funnest era so far. Their versatile production although rooted in boom bap & mid-school hip hop throws hints of electronic dance music, hardcore breaks, Miami bass, crunk, jazz rap, big beat, rage, breakbeat & Philly club rap in only 38 minutes evenly balancing hardcore & nerdcore subject matter in a creatively distinct manner.

Score: 4.5/5

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