RÖÖD – “XTC” (Stereogum Premiere)
Queens rapper RÖÖD is gearing up to drop his mixtape The Rumors Are True. To kick things off, he unleashes a smooth Djemba Djemba & Penthouse Penthouse-produced joint called “XTC.” RÖÖD mixes sex and drugs in a sensual cocktail swirled with silky, shimmering, and sweeping synths. Syncopated drums and rolling trap clicks join later to accentuate RÖÖD vocals as he spins drug-induced romantic tales weaving clever wordplay around a hazy sampled hook. RÖÖD’s last line sums up the mix of storytelling, slickness, drugs, and romance quite well: “If I should die before I wake say a elegy/ Cremate and make a pill out of my ashes, ecstasy.” Smooth like butter. Check it out.
The Rumors Are True is out later this year.