Buddy releases his sophomore album Superghetto via Cool Lil Company / RCA Records. The 10-track project arrives alongside a new visual for the album track “Hoochie Mama” and includes the previously released single “Wait Too Long” featuring Blxst, which will be performed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon this Monday, March 28th. With additional appearances from Tinashe, T-Pain, and Ari Lennox, Superghetto, finds Buddy continuing to expand his uniquely eclectic sound, utilizing his unusual blend of experiences and influences to tap into a wide swath of moods as diverse and expansive as the Los Angeles area itself.
Buddy last released the deluxe edition of his critically-acclaimed album Harlan & Alondra in 2020 before teaming up with fellow LA rapper Kent Jamz for the release of their joint project Janktape Vol.1, which NPR called “one of the best collab tapes” to be released that year. Amidst those efforts, he also joined Vince Staples on an explosive North American tour, performed at NPR’s Tiny Desk, The Late Late Show with James Corden and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon that same year. Buddy also played a major role in the Grammy-nominated Revenge of the Dreamers III album, featuring on seven tracks on the Director’s Cut version including fan favorites “Costa Rica” and “1993.”
Listen to Superghetto above and stay tuned for more from Buddy coming soon.
Buddy
Superghetto
Cool Lil Company / RCA Records
March 25, 2022
- Hoochie Mama
- Ghetto24 feat. Tinashe
- Wait Too Long feat. Blxst
- Black 2
- High School Crush
- Happy Hour feat. T-Pain
- Coolest Things feat. Ari Lennox
- Ain’t Fair
- Bad News
- Super Ghetto
About Buddy:
Born and raised in Compton, California, Buddy seemed destined for greatness at an early age. He was just 15 years old when he had his first brush with stardom, signing to Pharrell’s Star Trak imprint and releasing his first viral single, “Awesome Awesome.” A few short years later, he had delivered on that promise with the soulful, autobiographical RCA Records debut, Harlan & Alondra, in 2018.
A stark departure from the G-funk sounds listeners might have expected given Buddy’s origins, Harlan & Alondra was instead an eclectic collection of sun-soaked styles influenced by Buddy’s experiences. After years playing within LA’s flourishing underground scene, he’d developed relationships with prominent musicians, adding his own church-honed flair, and come up with a unique style that brought critical acclaim to his major-label debut and a hunger to see what he would come up with next.
After detours through J. Cole’s vaunted Revenge of the Dreamers III recording sessions and releasing the Jank Tape, Vol. 1 mixtape alongside Los Angeles native Kent Jamz, Buddy builds even more on his debut’s sonic experimentation with its follow-up, Superghetto. Again, Buddy utilizes his unusual blend of experiences, tapping into moods as diverse and expansive as the L.A. area itself. On album opener “Hoochie Mamas,” he delves into the party-rap ratchet-style that has been the backbone of the city’s underground scene for years for comic tales of racy mischief.
Then, he turns on a dime to relay recollections of life at the bottom of America’s totem pole on the moody title track, laying bare the lows he’s survived as readily as he celebrates the highs on “Black 2,” the spiritual successor to his pride anthem, “Black.” “I was talking about different Black things that we just self proclaim,” he says of his decision to revisit the track, “And just that Black pride that we have, I was putting all that on the mic. The second one is a cool vibe record, but it still has that prolific message about just Black pride and just being Black.”
He truly breaks out of the box with “HSC,” taking on the loose-limbed energy of an indie garage band while putting his own sly twist on the formula. He continues that upbeat, pop-rock vibe on “Bad News,” spinning a “gangster” narrative over a backing beat that wouldn’t be out of place on a Beach Boys compilation. Taken, together, these tracks highlight his philosophy for this album — and really, for his life.