The Koreatown Oddity - “Yesterday’s News”

SXSW 2020 - OEB Score: 8; Popularity Index: 6

Pairs Well With…Mndsgn, Open Mike Eagle, Cut Chemist

Spliced samples and raw, psychedelic beats take form in The Koreatown Oddity’s eclectic musical stew, a hip-hop producer/DJ/emcee that takes an indie rap sound to weird and wild places over his diverse catalog. The LA artist has shared both instrumental and rap records since debuting in 2014, the latest being two-sided, seamless mixtape That’s a No from Me Dog that mixes samples both spoken and musical into a strange canvas, like tasting morsels before moving onto The Koreatown Oddity’s next idea. Funk, jazz, rock, and world music influences intermingle with The Koreatown Oddity’s throwback and jungle rhythms, twisting and turning with DIY nonchalance that creates a haze over the diverse, vibing release. 2017 LP Finna Be Past Tense is a more traditional, versed record comparatively, but is still a sludgy psych-rap trip. The Koreatown Oddity’s rhyme schemes are modern and complex as well, a sound that matches the dark, industrial reflections that pierce through the adventurous artist’s beats. (Kevin McStravick)