For over a decade, Father has carved his own path through the music industry, cultivating a community with his quotable rhymes and offbeat humor. Offering a snapshot of his day-to-day as he schemes his next move, the Awful Records founder announces HU$BAND 2, his new EP. Returning to the gently melodic sound he pioneered with his 2019 HU$BAND EP, the upcoming sequel is an absorbing and hypnotic listen, as Father waxes poetic over production that borrows from jazz, trip-hop, and more. A re-centering effort from an artist known for experimentation, HU$BAND 2 arrives on June 28th via Awful Entertainment / Too Lost.
Along with the announcement of the EP, Father shares “Oxenfree,” his new single. Taking inspiration from a playground chant, “oxenfree” is the product of gleeful spontaneity, the sound of a rapper joyfully piecing words together in odd combinations, simply because he can: “All I want is the money, the lettuce, the cheese, the bread, the ciabatta/Tec-9 with a suppressor, it shoot and it sound like a thousand cicadas.” Built around playful, jazzy piano arpeggios, “oxenfree” never stops teasing the ear, as Father switches from easy melody to whispered flows to an infectious laugh that reverberates through the hook.
“I really just enjoy rapping sometimes,” says Father. “This one just came from me experimenting after a huge creative block. The hook is just some sh*t I said while high and the bars after just flowed out of me.”
A seismic figure in the rap underground, Father’s alternative Atlanta rap ecosystem helped foster some of the most exciting artists and memorable music of the past decade. Father established himself as a crucial, idiosyncratic voice, following his muse wherever it would take him and maintaining an undeniable magnetism that drew fans into his world–”Look At Wrist” ft. ILoveMakonnen & Key! and albums like Young Hot Ebony busted down seemingly insurmountable bridges between the oddball underground and trap mainstream. He founded Awful Records in the early 2010s, creating a community of unconventional artists, including artists like Makonnen, Playboi Carti, Abra, and more, and ushering them into the broader consciousness. Awful Records signed a distribution deal with RCA in 2018, leading to acclaimed projects like Awful Swim and the original HU$BAND.
During the pandemic, Father took the time to dwell on the most important things in life–he fulfilled his destiny by becoming a biological father, settling down in atlanta with his new family. He returned to his DIY roots, releasing 2020 project Come Outside, We Not Gone Jump You as an independent artist, and sharing the buzzworthy single “Let’s Kick His Ass” ft. Zack Fox & Archibald Slim in 2021. Last summer, Father released Young Hot Ebony 2, the sequel to his 2014 breakthrough project.
With HU$BAND 2, Father continues to make the music that he loves, taking the first step toward re-forming his Awful collective and setting an example for all DIY artists to follow.
Stream “oxenfree”: https://too.fm/
Pre-save HU$BAND 2: https://too.fm/jm6nqjj
© 2023, Seth "Digital Crates" Barmash. All rights reserved.
