Qwazaar

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At this point in his career, Qwa’s pedigree is unquestionable. South Side representative extraordinaire; Low End theorist; endlessly inventive with flows and increasingly daring in subject and range. Long hailed for his vocal ability, the decades have seen Qwa transform into the rare artist whose symphonic flow is effortlessly matched to pitch-perfect confessional content. The moments that meld both into a unique storytelling voice are rare—Rakim’s "The Ghetto" comes to mind, as do Black Thought’s post-bop excursions. Qwa’s true corollary, however, aren’t his fellow MCs—it’s Charlie Parker, whose wrenching solos feature a technical genius that are only matched by their sorrow—the sound of Icarus’ wings melting.



Ruby Hornet Interview

Qwazaar & Batsauce "Love Liez"
from the Stress Chasers EP


Qwazaar & Batsauce "Reach"
Stress Chasers EP


Qwa & Batsauce’s newest platter, an EP entitled Stress Chasers, begins with "Love Liez", a perfect curve replete with gauzy keys and the indomitable Qwa intoning that he’s "never felt so free, never felt so special..." It’s an unexpected opening for the heroic South Side rhyme champ, a hooky Trojan horse with incisive critique hidden in velvet melody. Undisputable ear candy, "Love Liez" also rebukes those who "never care, never dare to be true". Stress Chasers sees Qwa and Bat crossing the boundary from rap phenoms to great songwriters, genre-bending world-class musicians entering a blue period.

The EP consists of 6 short tracks, the longest clocking in at barely 3 minutes and change, a throwback to the tight songcraft of 60s pop, when entire Beatles albums were only 30 minutes long. Qwa is entering territory where most MCs cannot follow, blending a growing love of psychedelia and a beguiling fluidity with cornerstone golden-era references and dashes of brawn that only serve to punctuate his acuity. One can’t help but think of Roland Kirk playing two saxes at once. In "Pop Smurf" he deadpans "at least a hundred styles / my memory is rough." Batsauce continues to impress, adding another gem to his oeuvre, showing undisputable skill with an impressive array of sounds. "Rough Out There" would be perfectly at home on the first Blueprint album, until Qwa, insistently going against the grain, leans into a deceptively off-accent rhyme pattern that most MCs would drown in. The EP ends with the unhinged uptempo rave-up "Daddy Smokes," Bat neatly twisting rap conventions with a plucky keyboard line, underwater bloops, and taut R&B drums, Qwa singing with fried abandon that "your dad smokes marijuana...and you will, too..." before launching into a precise rapid-fire spit that belies the EP’s stoned ethos. Wild howling wafts through the background and Qwa and Bat manage to sound light-hearted, screwy, and ominous, all at the same time. Essential listening for the vanguard.