With pipes to rival Dot Com Bubble-era R Kelly, and all the artistic subtlety of an airbrushed t-shirt scored from a county fair ring toss, Macho Randy’s presence on SoundCloud is impossible to ignore once you’ve been sucked into its orbit. Though he firmly plants a back foot in the hazy emo/trap territory populated by higher-profile associates like Lil Xan and Lil Aaron, Wisconsin-based R&B singer counters his inner demons with a glam rock vibrancy you’d otherwise have to dust off an old Culture Club LP to bask in.
Randy’s a hip square: passionate enough in his blue-eyed soul delivery to blur the distinction between sincerity and irony. Earlier singles like “One More Night with Randy,” and workout playlist slow jam “Randy Rousey,” are flooded with intentionally goofy — and awkwardly erotic — sentiment. These tracks emerge from the creative space of Tim and Eric sketches, culling their beauty drenched in glittery synths and sublime humor. Randy adopts the role of an eccentric millionaire playboy, detailing his financial and romantic escapades with breezy flamboyance, providing the perfect musical backdrop for you to whip around town in the Toyota Camry with the swagger of a Benz owner.
His debut tape, Love Nightmare explores the darker side of his opulence: what DJ Khaled would call, “Suffering from success.” Centering around an *NSYNC-inspired title track, the release laments the loss of relationships ruined by Randy’s inability to commit. “IDK why I’m like this,” a ballad that vaguely refers to past transgressions and hazy memories of parties, sounds like a bassy remix of Fueled By Ramen’s late-00s output. Closer “Teardrops in My Hennessy,” the tape’s best cut, channels Vanessa Carlton to deliver the most effective deconstruction of hip-hop stoicism this side of Jay-Z’s “Song Cry.”
Despite relative obscurity, the eight-song mixtape has received co-signs from Hot Sugar, Antwon, and even Adam22. Randy’s stealthily clouted up, and potentially a key player in SoundCloud’s current wave. Don’t sleep:
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