Tigrayan artist Sideshow releases his new album TIGRAY FUNK via 10k. Two years in the making, this body of work represents a refined statement from the rapper having spent the longest quiet spell of his career learning from life experiences and his peers, and dedicating himself to sharpening his craft. The album features a limited number of close collaborators that share a similar ethos, with guest features from El Cousteau, Niontay, Kelow Latesha and SEXWORKS scattered through the tracklist. Earlier this week, Sideshow shared the final offering ahead of the album in the form of a music video for album cut “ALOVENARCOTIC”, directed by Jossh Flores.

 

 

TIGRAY FUNK is an album that’s meant to feel expansive and unpredictable in typical Sideshow fashion when looking at his discography, yet it’s also a pensive ode to the people of Tigray and the ongoing genocide they’re enduring. Framed by a parable that tells the story of how animals divided themselves into predators and prey, TIGRAY FUNK finds Sideshow speaking to a plethora of societal imbalances and injustices with a nihilistic sharpness, but also carves out moments of levity that he hopes will inspire the Tigrayan people. The album’s production is equally diverse, featuring work from the likes of Surf Gang’s harrison, Laron, Tony Seltzer and Anysia Kym.

 

 

Having spent time between the DMV area and LA in his early years after moving to the US from Tigray, Ethiopia, Sideshow’s dexterous rap style is a direct byproduct of those years spent immersing himself in American culture through movies, art, fashion and the music that was played around him. Sideshow’s career as a rapper has been colored by continued growth and honing his craft, introducing himself with three EPs in 2020 (Farley, Ginger Shot and Asked Amlak to Wash My Hands) before taking time away to refine his first full-length, 2021’s Wicked Man’s Reprise, which featured collaborators and friends like MAVI, Na-Kel Smith and Navy Blue. Several full-length projects have come in the years since, including JAM, a collaborative album made with Alexander Spit in 2023.