California Rapper Blends Blog-Era R&B with Experimental Beats

In the mid-2010s, California's music scene was a melting pot of influences, with Stones Throw's breezy synth-funk and Tyler, the Creator's woozy, weed-brained rap. Amidst this, a young musician named zayALLCAPS emerged, blending the earnestness of artists like The Internet with the edginess of Odd Future.

Today, zayALLCAPS is carving out his own unique space, crafting breezy, eclectic tracks that fuse blog-era R&B sounds with the looseness of an experimental beat tape. On his latest album, "art Pop * pop art," he reworks the anatomy of love songs, using the titular TV show "Pimp My Ride" as a metaphor for pursuing a girl who already has a boyfriend. His methodology is raw and freewheeling, yet the end result is a slick, swagged-out sound that navigates the "gray area" between earnestness and edginess.

zayALLCAPS' label, autotuneKaraoke, reflects his approach, blending "robotic" pitch correction with "hella human" vocals. This allows him to contour his humanity through vocal modulation, as heard on the track "PROCESS," where he showcases his beat-boxing skills alongside Auto-Tuned vocals. Overall, zayALLCAPS is an eclectic artist who is redefining the boundaries of swag and sincerity in contemporary music.