Haleek Maul – 88

Haleek Maul weaves a kind of shock-inducing deepness and dirtyness into his beats and lyrics and this new track 88 is no different; “Back of you mongrel, I’ll detach your torso”. There are a few more American artists working on the darker side of rap like Odd Future and Mykki Blanco, but compared to them, Haleek seems more authentic in his apparent underworld-ly state; “cold as ice heart, but I disguise it as an art form”, a lyric from Teufel, a tune he put out earlier this year with the opener, “I think too much.” In his interview with The Fader posted yesterday, he speaks about being a nerd, trailing the internet for music since he was eight in between New York and a reclusive Barbadian town, constantly listening to old Outkast albums, making beats since he was 11, and being one of only two kids at school that does any of this. So, this (kind of) makes it more understandable that’s he’s coming out with such incredible music and lyricism now, at the age of 15.

88, produced by The-Drum, is deep on both sides; the slow beat that incorporates haunting organ sounds, and the rap. It’s thinking music, and could only be dancing music if you’re somewhere dark where no one talks (there’d probably be a full moon or something, too.) And, just like Haleek’s past collaborators, The-Drum has made the perfect sound for his counterpart’s gruesomely thoughtful words. Watch out for the release of his debut EP on June 14th, through Mishka / Merok.

Watch an unofficial video for 88 below and download it via Soundcloud.