Not long after Yelawolf pledged to deliver an album a week all throughout the month of April, the Slumerican rapper has come through with the first of the bunch. For the occasion, he teamed up with frequent collaborator RiFF RAFF for the seven-track TURQUOiSE TORNADO, a project that features guest appearances from DJ Paul, Paul Wall, and more.
Though the infectious lead single “TiP TOE 4” found the pair hopping back in time for a melodic jaunt in the eighties — one delivered with surprising conviction, at that — there’s plenty of hard-hitting hip-hop to be found across the project. Early cut “HUMAN LAMBORGHiNI” finds Jody and Yela trading bars alongside Danny Swift Garcia, with all three parties putting in work over a sparse and eerie southern banger. In fact, the majority of TURQUOiSE TORNADO seems built around bangers and bars, a quality that should please many longtime fans.
By the time that Yela and RiFF RAFF’s latest closes out over some smoldering Ronny J production, it’s hard not to wish they had a few more tracks tucked away in the cut. It’s fair to say that Yela has gone two for two insofar as collaborative albums are concerned, having only recently wrapped up Blacksheep with Caskey. Should you be looking for some hard-hitting, low-stakes music with plenty of character, look no further than TURQUOiSE TORNADO. And for those who have checked it out already — sound off with your favorite songs below.