The SHEER Weekly
Exploring Aquacrunk, revisiting the black sheep of Nu Metal, and many more!
Hello there! On this week, we are exploring Aquacrunk, revisiting the black sheep of Nu Metal, and many more!
Written by Mohammad Kachooee
Edited by Karya Ayyıldız
But before we do, allow us to share a little missive with you. ✉️
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Rewind the Week
Drake meals in Canada, surprisingly not roofied
McDonald’s (boycott) unveiled their Drake or OVO meal earlier this week, and fans have been rushing to pay $15 for a McDouble. Paying any $’s for McDonald’s or Drake is pretty abhorrent, but after years of people clowning the J. Cole meal (an internet meme where people show bland burgers and water to signify his humbleness), now they get to drink some overpriced bullsh….anyway. Glad no one is getting roofied. That’d be the real OVO meal.
Kid Rock loves kids, and RFK Jr. loves cocaine, they both love sports
Kid “Young Ladies, Young Ladies, I like them underage, see, some say it’s statutory, I say it’s mandatory“ Rock and Robert F. “I snorted cocaine off toilet seats in the 80s and I’m the health secretary“ Kennedy Jr. released a bizzare a video last week where they forego all self-awareness and basically just do the homoerotic parts of Top Gun in Kid Rock’s brand-new gym. RFK Jr. being in jeans the whole time, and Kid Rock looking like a sad muppet aside, US, are you okay?
You should say no to Suno, these artists are
Well, mostly their management and executives, but still. Anyday that starts with “Fuck Suno” is a good day in our book. In a publicly shared letter, many heads and figures of the music industry announced a “Say No to Suno” campaign, where they ask people to not use this abomination. If you have ever used Suno, please stop reading human-written newsletters right this instance and go ask your boy ChatGPT to write you one. Peace!
Turkish internet starts losing it over Billboard hoax
Celal Karatüre is a name appearing on many Turkish news feed. Why so? Well, it is Ramazan and he is known for his sermons and ilahı songs (religious songs). The hoax going around (or one that the entire Turkish internet is in on) is that he has dethroned everyone on the Billboard Hot 100.
A cursory look at the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week claimed in the “screenshots” will reveal that actually Taylor Swift’s “Opalite“ still dominates. We guess the salty critics weren’t getting anywhere with “Opalite is white and Onyx is black, so this song is racist” narrative and had to resort to bringing Celal abi into this. Hayırlı olsun either way.
Wait, that’s a genre? Yeap, it’s Aquacrunk
Imagine crunk, but subdued — an insane route that many artists in Scottland took back in the early 00s. Aquacrunk is basically the taking of the crunk genre’s electronic elements under water. What does underwater mean? Well, check these releases out and tell us, don’t the instruments sound like they are literally under water? While it’s too small to track as a subgenre, it is pretty interesting that the genre pulled through and had a revival in Sri Lanka years later. Anyway, check these cuts out:
1- Rustie - Glass Swords (2011)
2- Moist Ghost - Big Game Hunter (2012)
3- Randhir - Namal Mitak (2013)
Friday drops worth checking out
Charli XCX is not following anyone on Instagram anymore, that’s a thing, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t follow these great releases that came out Friday. Just listen to Mitski’s Nothing’s About To Happen To Me. These are nice too:
1- Gorillaz - The Mountain (Art Pop, Neo-Psychedelia)
2- Rob Zombie - The Great Satan (Industrial Metal)
3- A Wilhelm Scream - Cheap Heat (Melodic Hardcore, Punk)
4- Amaro - Bibi Club (Indie Pop)
5- Em Beihold - Tales of a Failed Shapeshifter (Alt-Pop, Orchestral)
Revisited: Skrape - New Killer America (2001)
Oh, Skrape is back, but what was the hype about? Well, Skrape were always the black sheep but an undercelebrated piece of Nu Metal history. If you look at their 2001 release (yes, look past the cover), it truly shows off a range of what Nu Metal can be and encompasses. With how maligned it was as a genre, it exhibited true freedom in terms of metal. No rules, inspiration is a plus, not a flaw, and screw every sacred tradition. In New Killer America, you may hear alternative hits like “What You Say” to introspective and more grunge-inspired pieces like “Sleep”, this album really has it all. Also, can’t wait for the 25th anniversary of this record!
Lately at the SHEER
The SHEER in collaboration with SofarSounds Istanbul!
We’re excited to partner with SofarSounds Istanbul and Kadınlarla Jam for a special evening at a warm, inclusive local venue, bringing together women+ independent musicians and independent media. It’s a space to listen, to share, and to build meaningful connections—together.
🎟️ Tickets go on sale Monday, March 2 at 3:00 PM, exclusively at sofarsounds.com.
The SHEER Interviews: Mei Semones out on YouTube!
Last December, we met her over Zoom to talk touring, inspirations, and the instincts behind her songwriting. Watch the full conversation on The SHEER YouTube channel.
Erykah Badu performs “Rimshot”
Erykah Badu performs “Rimshot” from her 1997 debut Baduizm at the Brooklyn Academy of Music – Majestic Theater. Just 25 when she released “Baduizm”, Badu helped shape what would come to be known as neo-soul. Alongside voices like D’Angelo and Lauryn Hill, her work reimagined jazz, hip-hop, and R&B through introspection, groove, and spiritual weight.
Thank you for reading through the newest issue of The SHEER Weekly. We’ll see you next week.