The Arizona music scene is very lively place, but the Halal Boys are a different force of nature that can only come from two individual artists with a grip on their identity and the drive to prosper. You can feel the creative energy emanating from each track. Most of the production was handled by Ra with some select others from the valley, including Mac Deville on ‘Let Life Be Good‘ and 8OhEight on ‘Trust Allah, Fuck 12’. The cover art is based on an Eid card featuring Jefe’s grandfather with the Kufi. I urge you to listen to the best AZ Hip Hop album of 2023 from front to back at least 3 times.
“Peeped inside my mind-state, full of divine hate.”
Gorgeous Jefe on ‘Halal Intro’
Trust Allah, Fuck 12 is a fantastic blend of diverse styles from 3 menacing MC’s with AZ roots. Gooro, Lord Ra, and Gorgeous Jefe have individually unique styles that blend so well together. The sample is a beautiful mix of orchestra strings and harp, and the transitions on this one make it feel like a full-fledged cinematic experience. Each verse contains individual worlds of masterful storytelling, rhyme schemes and wordplay expected of the greatest poetic minds. The Halal Boys tag on the album version adds a lot to the track and project as a whole.
“& I put that on the royal we.”
Lord Ra on ‘Trust Allah, Fuck 12’
Toy Gunz is an essential to this album. As a metaphor – the stark contrast between child’s-play and the harsh realities of this world we live in come to mind. The sample and drums together is nothing like you’ve ever heard, though the hook is what cements it for me. Citing purpose and intention to music as the driver for this albums creation, it asks a necessary question.
“What we came here to do? (Be the youth x2).
What we came here to do? (Tell the truth x2).”
Jefe & Ra on ‘Toy Gunz’
Picnic in the Park is to the album what the album is to the listener- a breath of fresh air. I can’t name any other interlude about loving yourself and chilling with the homies at the park, them boyz onto something genuine, and I’m all the way here for it. We talking about past traumas and shit, healing up.
Florida is a hit plain and simple. The vocal and flute samples make me feel like I’m in a Sunday morning cartoon, posted on a beach in Miami sipping exotic beverages. The energy brought from both MC’s raises the bar substantially. Summer 2023 had this as a major part of it’s soundtrack for me, and I see it making a comeback every summer for the indefinite future.
Breathe In Breathe Out produced by Reco, is the only one at this time to boast a truly cinematic music video, leaving me to wonder- which track will be taking the next step in the Halal Boys cinematic universe? The laid back jazz-esque drum and bass line flows like butter behind that rhodes sample.
“Off the strength of the hustle the muscle is built.”
Ra on Breathe In Breathe Out
Nights at the Kufi Club is my favorite interlude – pure poetry. To be able to joke around but take your art this serious is a major skillset that I think is vastly underrepresented. Bibbity BOP.
The Touch finds us returning to bar-heavy, sample based hip hop with out-of-this world levels of spiritual reflection. The title could be referring to the touch of love every track gets, the physical realm of touch that we all need on this Earthly plane, the touch of God, the touch a creative puts on their craft, or all of the above. The one liners like “Finding God in a groove” & “Out the woods and the jungle change view”, as well as Jefe rapping past the beat cutoff make this a very memorable addition to the album.
Unico, produced by Golden Arms, showcases both artists storytelling abilities. Possibly one of my favorite Jefe verses, it showcases his way of being, vocal delivery and world class flow, that only comes with many years of experience.
“Work hard till I die it don’t mean nothing,
Work hard till I die like it mean something.”
Gorgeous Jefe on HARDWORK
The beat switch and vocal chops on Hardwork are so unorthodox, yet still earworms. We all walk this Earth just trying to find meaning in our work, crafting a thread of meaning to reap what we sew in a positive way. To light the flames of inspiration and progress toward that goal is the highest power a human can have in my view, and great music like this does exactly that.
Let Life Be Good – In terms of musical mantras this one is one of the best I have ever heard. Four words that hold an immense amount of power. When everyone around you chooses to focus on the most negative narrative available, choosing to feel good about life is almost a form of rebellion.
The next interlude goes out to all the backseat legends.
“It was a good time not a long time, be well.”
Ra
Gr8ful is one of my most played songs in 2023, beating almost every other song in my library. Gratitude is important and not always easy to come by authentically. It’s a very good practice to take a moment and look at your path, and appreciate how far you may have come from a certain low point.
Tender is a fantastic closer. So many quotes in this one that I could go on about for days, but when Jefe said “Rest in peace that man, Kid Coma, rest in peace to our city as we know it.” it hits me every single time like it’s the first time I heard it. You can feel that he means those words and is willing a better version of the city into existence.
“I’m droppin jewels, welcome to my tutelage.”
Jefe
Overall, art is most powerful when it is authentic, and to convey that value effectively throughout not only a self-produced beat, lyrics and infectious hooks, but throughout a whole project – is massively impressive. Creating a cohesive body of work – rather than a smorgasbord of demographic-hitting songs to “make sales” – is something all artists should strive for, and I believe Halal Boys have achieved. They have solidified their presence as a leading force in the Valley of the Sun as individual artists and now a dynamic duo. This was easily my album of the year for 2023, so I’m very much looking forward the next official showcase from this monumentally talented pair of aces up Arizona’s sleeve.
“Deliberate with the heaven-sent.”
Ra
Check out the Interview I did with Ra back in 2019 here, or one of the many previous articles I have posted about Jefe. I cannot show enough appreciation for the way these two artists elevate the scene with their presence. Gorgeous Jefe has an ep called Stay Blessed that just released, his first official follow up to Sun of Abdoulaye. Lord Ra has an impressive catalog, with his ep Ramadan Kareem remaining in rotation and a new project on the way as well due next month. As they gear up for their next chapters, be sure to keep Jefe and Ra on your radar. Their individual brilliance and collaborative magic have left an undeniable mark, and with new music on the horizon the future of Phoenix hip-hop looks brighter than ever.
Follow Lord Ra here!
Follow Gorgeous Jefe here!
Follow Halal Boys here!
Follow Sunset-City on all platforms!
