The music scene is a thriving, bustling community, jam packed with millions of artists trying to make a name for themselves. Due to the intense over saturation, breaking the mold can be practically impossible for most people, unless you’re bringing something completely new to the table. Describing themselves as “two audiovisual terrorists,” Russian duo Ic3peak are a prime example of this, proving that pushing things to the extreme is sometimes what is needed to be heard over the competition.
Over the past 4 years of releasing music, Ic3peak have made a massive name for themselves over in Russia, gaining a cult following behind their outlandish style. Most of their early works have focused on a much more atmospheric sound, almost sounding like if Death Grips and Die Antwoord came together to make ambient music.
Their newest track; “This World Is Sick” however is an invasive attack on all the senses, with an ferocious video to follow suite. The imagery of Ic3peak sloughing across a barren, snowy landscape with Nick’s barbaric production layered under Nastya’s aggressive raps give a highly uncomfortable feeling, but the intensity makes it impossible to look away. Definitely the most hostile release from the duo, the sound was surprising to many long time fans, but the result is immaculate.
Distorted 808s, thumping kicks and horror fueled melodies, “This World Is Sick” hits hard. Despite a few exceptions from artists like Pharaoh, Russian presence in the English speaking underground rap community appears to be pretty sparse. However, this release proves maybe there’s more going on behind the scenes than we even realize.