Producer Captain Crunch has been ever-present in the Soundcloud rap scene for the past three years or so. Even if you’re unfamiliar with the name, chances are you’ve previously heard his producer tag, “Captain Crunch Presents,” as he has had beat placements in every corner of the underground.
On his newest project, Beverly Killbillies (a fitting title for the Oklahoma native turned Los Angeles resident), that production tag couldn’t be more appropriate. Across nine tracks, Captain Crunch presents the listener with production that ranges from brightly colored and melodic, to woozy beats with synth timbres that sound like they were discovered on NASA’s latest mars mission. On his trek through these soundscapes, Captain Crunch recruits a varied team of rappers to represent the underground. Frequent and past collaborators make appearances while even Jay Critch and his mentor Rich the Kid lend their verses to a track.
Beyond Captain Crunch’s tried and true production, it is the range of collaborators that makes this tape such an interesting listen. On almost every track you’ll be introduced to a collaboration not just between rappers, but between producers as well. The project feels like this creative incubator curated, recorded, and of course presented by Captain Crunch. Given the range of artists that do make appearances here there are some major highlights.
Stacy Money and Captain Crunch collaborate on the track, “Zone,” and given the amount of times these two have collaborated in the past the chemistry here is undeniable. The beat feels tailor-made for Stacy’s mischievous ways. It perfectly complements his style with these quirky flute synths that chirp up and down as he raps,
“I pour a four in a liter, these n****s play follow the leader. Stacy Money nice to meet ya, f** a hoe once and delete her.”
Directly after this track, Captain Crunch offers the listener a stark contrast in sound as DMV rapper Lil Gray comes through on “Robbed the Plug” with additional production by Skys. Unlike the breezy atmosphere of the previous song, the beat here is characterized by these ominous alternating piano keys. Lil Gray stands out among his peers as he generates these charismatic flows and spits hardened, street-tested bars.
“Rob the plug then move on like shit all good
Bag up the drugs have my youngins serve in your hood
Chop down your block like chopping wood
I up the glock it’s understood.”
Now the third track, “Billy & Mandy,” serves as the major standout in the track list. Ouee 2 Times and Good Intent handle the bars while Captain Crunch and Good Intent collaborate on the amazing production. The track is deceivingly progressive in the way the beat changes and contrasts so greatly between the verse and chorus. The song opens with these chilling synth tones that sound like something out of The X-Files backed by a booming 808. Ouee 2 Times flows nonchalantly over the beat before, suddenly, the track reaches the chorus and the instrumental changes from dark and brooding to super smooth and melodic. Ouee 2 Times ups his vocal register as he croons, “Me and my b**** like Billy & Mandy,” in reference to the cartoon network original. As the beat changes a soaring electric piano lead emerges in the backdrop à la the 1980’s and adds another melodic texture to the instrumental. (Seriously though the electric piano is amazing.)
On Beverly Killbillies, Captain Crunch and his collaborators consistently offer up some high quality production and the cast of rappers here all hold their own on their respective songs. Consistency can often be an issue on producer led projects just because of the variability of the performances. However, Captain Crunch has been so active in the scene and has worked with so many different artists and styles that he was able to overcome this hurdle. Listen to Beverly Killbillies below as we wait to hear what Captain Crunch presents next.