PH FAT chronicles the rawest and purest forms of emotion that deal with sex, love and heartbreak, in that exact order, on his latest genre-blending EP.
PH FAT’s latest release “sex | love | heartbreak’ sees him mixing his signature dark electronic rap sound shamelessly with pop and R’n’B elements. This creates an EP that is both as dark as anything that he’s ever done. At the same time it’s as polished and as catchy as anything you might hear when you spin the FM dial. This is a complete re-invention for the Cape Town based rapper.
Smooth Mike explains
“I’ve been obsessed with love songs for the longest time, it was only after I started really working on my voice and my singing that I could actually explore the format properly. I threw myself in headfirst. I basically had to learn how to sing… It’s weird, when I’d been making dark party music for so long, it almost felt scary to write such a variety of music into one EP.
At the same time it was kinda like ‘Yo, this is where I’m at right now. I could push out some dark party songs but it would be contrived’. If I’m being honest, part of it was also being able to admit to myself that I really loved mid naughties pop music. The response so far has been huge. ‘Catherine’ was the biggest opening month I’ve ever had on a track. I can’t wait to finally release a collection of songs like this.”
On the production side of things, PH FAT opted to work with underground pop wunderkind Omri Dahan (“Get Some” and “Catherine”) Johannesburg-based hip hop trio Ganja Beatz (“My Lady”) and his former PHFAT co-conspirator, Narch (“Dark Dance” and “Feeding Time).
This EP contains exactly what it says on the can: Songs about sex, love and heartbreak. From raunchy one-night stands to boyish infatuation, from heart-wrenching goodbyes to isolated self-reflection, this work is all encompassing.
Each track is a testament to its corresponding romantic form. It’s as if sex, love and heartbreak were each taken to their nth degree and composed into songs. PH FAT’s “sex | love | heartbreak” EP is out now across all digital platforms: Stream / buy it HERE.
Watch this space for updates in the Music category on Running Wolf’s Rant.
