#220 - SHA RAY & DJ Haram breakdown 'Critical Thot' - Album Alchemy

From the music, to the politics, to the bold aesthetic presentation that accompanies the music... Brooklyn-based producer/electronic musician DJ Haram and San Francisco MC SHA RAY were a match made in heaven. Their shared love for experimental, boundary-pushing sound, and radical political messaging coalesce beautifully in their amazing new album, *Critical Thot*, released on Backwoodz Studioz. In this episode, we dig into the creative process and bold sound of *Critical Thot*, the strange discourse surrounding femme rap, the power of feminine sexuality explored through their album, and much more that will make you think, and laugh along the way as well. *Critical Thot* is a serious AOTY contender for 2026. Make sure you stay tuned to learn more about it. The Plug (0:45). The Interview (2:10). Haram and SHA RAY’s relationship beginnings (2:38). Initial musical impressions of Haram and SHA RAY's music (4:16). Expectations for the listener's reception of *Critical Thot* (9:03). Experience of working together as two femme musicians (13:10). Similarities between Haram and SHA RAY as artists and people (20:09). SHA RAY’s artistic development (26:37). The creative process of *Critical Thot* (32:30). Feminine power and sexuality in *Critical Thot* (39:13). Femme rap and misogyny (46:50). Haram’s sonic approach to *Critical Thot* (57:58). Upcoming projects / tour dates / merch (1:10:49). Rapping in a corset - *patron q from Dan-O* (1:14:02). Buy Critical Thot here: https://backwoodzstudioz.com/collections/sha-ray-dj-haram-critical-thot  Follow SHA RAY on Twitter here: https://x.com/kanekalonia  Follow DJ Haram on Twitter here: https://x.com/premiumharam  Follow SHA RAY on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/kanekalonia/  Follow DJ Haram on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/djharam/  Edited by: Alyssa Rodriguez Intro/Outro beat by: BLOODBLIXING -- Fiending for some more quality rap content? Visit the RMPP website: https://rmpp.squarespace.com/ Want to support and help us grow? Become a RMPP Patron, and gain access to exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/therapmusicplugpodcast  Looking to connect? DM me @rapmusicplugpod on Twitter and Instagram, or shoot me an email at [qlctv.podcast@gmail.com](mailto:qlctv.podcast@gmail.com)