The Garden State Gargoyle himself, Fatboi Sharif has had all of New Jersey waiting on new music from him for a minute. He is a staple of the NJ underground scene and has been killing it on all his guest spots and loosies since his last tape Ape Twin dropped back in 2018, so it was no surprise that his new Roper Williams produced single Church Towers sold out its vinyl run in less than a day. Fatboi Sharif seems to be as much of a fixture in Roper’s infamous Hudson County studio as the microphones and the loud-pack, so while this single is advertised as a one-off, hopefully its a sign of more collaborative work between Roper and Sharif to come later this year. The two are perfect together on the track; Roper pairs an airy flute with a droning baseline to conjure up the feeling of a dream turning into a nightmare as Fatboi Sharif delivers his dense, menacing bars.
The video for Church Towers matches the ghoulish energy of the track, though unexpectedly Fatboi Sharif is the recipient of the video’s violence rather than the perpetrator. The video tracks between two masked fiends, possibly Roper Williams themselves, duct taping Fatboi Sharif in a ritualistic murder ready to throw him in the Hudson, as a wide-eyed Sharif spits lyrics from a grafitti laced tunnel in between. Fatboi Sharif loves bringing a horrorcore vibe to his music, especially with his visuals, but with Church Towers he flips the violence back on himself. It is almost as if Roper Williams were pissed at how Sharif killed their beat so they were returning the favor killing him in the video. Fatboi Sharif has incredibly expressive eyes and can both look like a dead panned killer while reciting his lyrics in one shot before flipping back to his own mutilation where those same wide eyes are filled with terror. It is an impressive feat that shows Sharif has some acting chops to pair with his rapping.
All in all, the beat, rhymes, and visuals on Church Towers were all top notch. Let’s hope that this is a sign that Fatboi Sharif will be killing many more Roper Williams beats in the months to come.
Give Fatboi Sharif a follow on twitter and insta and give Roper Williams a follow on twitter and insta too!
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