The gloomy and spaced-out sounds of Spaceghostpurrp –“trill phonk,” as he calls
it– may transport the listener to the crime-ridden
swamp-grounds of nineties-era Memphis, but Purrp -earth name Muney Jordan–is
not on this mortal plane to corrode or destroy. When it comes to his purpose
and his aspiration for how his music received, the answer is simple and
singular. “My main goal is just to inspire a lot of children; inspire my
generation,” the young rapper/producer says.
And, as a source of inspiration and sage, he is already
miles ahead of those with twice as much time in music. A passion that was ignited
by growing up around “dark, underground hip-hop” and being around family
members who loved the older styles of southern hip-hop has led to a phenomenon
that now seems far grander than Jordan's Sunshine State heritage.
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Within just a year and some change, the Florida-born night walker has managed to get Kreayshawn to tweet her allegiance, amass a
small worldwide army of dedicated fans, and catch the attention of longtime
musical idol Juicy J, renowned indie label 4AD, Wu-Tang Clan patriarch GZA, and
mainstream icon Wiz Khalifa. The reason for all of it is transparent; the proof
is in the prose and the production.
Even a fleeting interest in Googling the “Spaceghostpurrp”
name should warrant all the answers for his attraction. His music carries a
very “love-it-or-leave-it” sound and feel.
His bars are minimalistic and are as far away as you can go from the
ornate verbal acrobatics many enjoy, but the beauty is in the straightforward
and menacing oration. His palette as a producer harkens back to the zeitgeist
of southern cult classics that people either obsessively cherish or don't quite
understand. And, to top it all off, everything sounds like it's recorded through
some sort of occult sound engineering process and was meant for only the
grimiest, dingiest corners of your imagination.
Yet, as divisive as Purrp and his hip-hop sorcery might sound,
it all goes back to uplifting others and being mindful of this generation and
the youth. He says of his age group and his young fans that he wants to “give
them the power to go back on what inspired them growing up and make their own
path from it” just like his favorite records made him the individual he is
today. The same covenant he had with music in his developmental years is
exactly what he wants others to have.
Purrp's thoughtfulness concerning his generational kin and younger
fans of his music comes across perfectly earnest and unattached from the campy
connotations that would usually arise in today's critical canon where everyone
laughs at the infamous Ol' Dirty Bastard podium-storming stunt at the Grammy's and Lil B's
social media feeds. While other rappers may have a detachment from what the
message of their lyrics can truly mean to someone, Spaceghostpurrp sees more to
his work and has a matured sense of purpose. Even if his original works are
submerged in an atmosphere of pitch black, there is a light at the end of his
hell-based tunnel, and a sort of murky brightness does emanate from his most
recent work. As he wrapped up the last portion of the final cut on his recent
release Mysterious Phonk: The Chronicles
of Spaceghostpurrp, he reflected this sentiment the best with this defiant
and triumphant line: “Fuck what they
say, I'ma do me.”
Spaceghostpurrp performs with Trash Talk at Chain Reaction, 1652 W. Lincoln Ave., Anaheim. Thurs. July 19. (714) 635-6067, www.allages.com. $15. 7:30 p.m. All ages.
