Scaring the Hoes (2023)

Scaring the Hoes (also known as Scaring the Hoes, Vol. 1, both stylized in all caps) is a collaborative studio album by American rappers JPEGMafia and Danny Brown. It was released on March 24, 2023, through AWAL and Bandcamp as a pay-what-you-want download. It was produced by JPEGMafia and included a sole guest appearance by independent Maryland rapper Redveil. The album had been teased for a year leading up to the release of its first single, "Lean Beef Patty", on March 13, with the album's official title being announced the same day. On March 21, the title track from the album was released as a single. On July 11, an EP expansion to the album, titled Scaring the Hoes: DLC Pack, was released, which expanded the tracklist from fourteen to eighteen songs.

Scaring the Hoes was released to widespread critical acclaim, who praised the chemistry between JPEGMafia and Brown, as well as the production of the album. In the United States, Scaring the Hoes debuted at number 84 on the Billboard 200 alongside entering at 39 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album charted in six other countries, including Canada and the United Kingdom. It appeared high on many critic year-end lists.

Background and recording

On March 28, 2022, JPEGMafia was invited as a guest for NTS Radio, performing in London, playing songs from artists such as Björk, Sky Ferreira, Big K.R.I.T., and Black Rob. Around the 39-minute mark of the session, he previewed the early version of the song "Burfict!" (titled after the football player), which featured Danny Brown. The duo later performed the song at Smoker's Club Fest in April 2022. Brown later confirmed that the two would release a collaborative album, saying "So yeah, Danny Brown and JPEGMAFIA album. Y’all just heard the first song, coming soon. Motherfuckers get ready for Peggy and Danny, bitch." The album was expected to be JPEGMafia's first release since his critically acclaimed LP!, released on October 22, 2021, as well as Brown's first album since UKnoWhatImSayin?, which was released on October 4, 2019, and also garnered critical acclaim.

On January 15, 2023, JPEGMafia shared images of Brown and himself working in the studio via Twitter and revealed that the album would be released in the same year. In episode 43 of The Danny Brown Show podcast (aired February 28, 2023), Brown invited JPEGMafia on the show to talk about the album, where they revealed the tentative album title (Scaring the Hoes, Vol. 1) and previewed the album's first single, "Lean Beef Patty". On March 13, the single was released to streaming services, alongside its music video and an announcement of the album's release date. On March 21, the title track "Scaring the Hoes" was released as the second single from the album, accompanied by a music video. Both singles were well received by critics, who praised the production and performances by the duo. In 2025, the Bandcamp page for Scaring the Hoes had its album cover replaced with Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un.

Production and style

Scaring the Hoes was primarily produced using the Roland SP-404SX. JPEGMafia described the production process as akin to a "practice session", remarking, "this is what we would sound like in the 90s with no Pro Tools". On the album, JPEGMAFIA maintains his "liberal sampling philosophy", utilizing samples from soul, gospel, and 2000's music. Scaring the Hoes was described by the Rolling Stone as the opposite of chart dominant R&B crossovers. Instead, JPEGMafia and Brown created "a mashup" of experimental hip-hop. The album is characterized by its experimental and industrial sound. It embraces elements of indie and alternative rap scenes and features a "raw, almost punk edge", rejecting mainstream hip-hop conventions.

Tour

In support of Scaring the Hoes, JPEGMafia and Brown announced a North American concert tour on April 24. The tour was scheduled to begin in Nashville, Tennessee on July 25. From there, the two embarked on a 20-city stint throughout the United States. The final show of the tour took place in Dallas, Texas on August 26.

Critical reception

Scaring the Hoes was met with widespread critical acclaim. On review aggregator Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 86, based on 13 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 8.0 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.

Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Fred Thomas stated that Scaring the Hoes was "defiantly anti-pop", but still managed to achieve something "unexpectedly catchy and captivating." He also referred to the album as crowded, confusing, and ridiculous, but concluded that thanks to the performances from JPEGMafia and Brown, it still remained exciting. Writing for Clash, Robin Murray called it, "A nerve-jangling experience" as well as describing it as JPEGMafia and Brown's masterpiece. In a five-star review from DIY, Matthew Davies Lombardi described that the album "overdelivers time and time again".