Photo via Facebook / Dres
On paper, the combination of local rappers Rich P. and Dres doesn’t make much sense. As we’ve seen on his 2019 Rothstein album, as well as the EPs that he’s dropped throughout this year, Rich P. tends to present himself with a sophisticated, veteran style that emits a notion of grown-man confidence. On the flipside, Dres’ style is very much in the moment; so much so that he proudly represents his Urban & Arrogant brand on beats that seem to reach for quick viral success rather than prolonged staying power. The sounds shouldn’t really work together, but they do when the two artists linked up for their recent Twenty7 EP. The six track project turns a what-if scenario into reality, with surprising results.
To its credit, the unlikely pairing is a showcase piece for each individual artist’s strengths. Dres is unrelenting, and full of vibrant energy whenever he gets the chance. Rich P. has a demeanor that is more low-key, but the slick talk is effortless from the rapper, flowing in a way that can handle just about any production style. At times, a bit of osmosis takes over, with each artist adapting just a little bit of the tendencies of their verbal counterparts. It wasn’t originally by design, but the two acknowledge that the merger of styles rubbed off one another while making the project.
“At the time that we came together, we were both at the same area of our creativity, where we just wanted to have fun with the music and not be too focused on trying to make it too perfect” said Rich P. “We wanted to create real high energy music, and it just so happened that we ended up sharing the same melodies on some records.”
“Rich is the calmness that I don’t have sometimes” Dres said. “What you’re hearing is the balance of two sounds and two people that are a lot alike. A lot of the things were real organic, like ‘woah, I love that. You should leave that on there.’”
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Like most pet projects that Milwaukee music listeners will receive in the next six months or so, the idea for a joint EP was built out of down time during quarantine. Rich P., whose work is seemingly never-ending from his home studio, initially linked up with Dres for a studio session after having some tracks ready and posted online. Things progressed from there over the weeks that would follow.
“It really started with a Facebook video of Rich’s song “L.I.T.,” and I told him that I needed to get on that” said Dres. “He sent it to me, and I sent it back that night. Then we just kind of kept sending records back and forth until two weeks later, we realized we had a lot of things here.”
“With his workflow, it didn’t take much time to make the project. Before we knew it, we had like six records together, and it was like ‘let’s put this out as a hybrid project’” said Rich P.
If you’re an adamant follower of local hip hop, Twenty7 serves as a chance to expand your sonic palette. Whether you’re looking to turn up or tone things down, there’s something for you, creating a variety for even the most skeptical of listeners.
