Lil Asaf is releasing EP Sawa Sawa via Astral Plane Recordings on July 31, with preview track ‘Balki (prod. Khadije)’ premiering on AQNB today. This is the first full-length collaboration between the Jordanian and Lebanese artists. The record continues the frenetic rap style found on both Asaf’s Lal Bazam for ANBA and the duo’s single ‘MsII777’, meshing Khadije’s dub-infused production with Asaf’s forceful punk lyricism.
The bass-line thunders in at the start of ‘Balki’, suddenly getting spun back as DJ airhorn samples momentarily raid the headroom. Asaf’s verses bellow above clamoring subs, evoking the vocal-bass interplay of IC3PEAK’s 2017 track ‘Грустная Сука / Sad Bitch’. His lyrics persist through Khadije’s warped electronics before spontaneously trailing off. The producer’s icy vocal tag concludes ‘Balki’, leaving a provocative final impression of the otherwise abrasive composition.
Lil Asaf’s Sawa Sawa is out via Astral Plane Recordings on July 31.
