'The Blackest Thing on the Menu' from Gangstagrass Out Today

BLUEGRASS AND HIP-HOP GROUP
GANGSTAGRASS
RELEASE DELECTABLE 10-TRACK ALBUM
THE BLACKEST THING ON THE MENU
TODAY, VIA RENCH AUDIO

PROJECT ARRIVES ON A WAVE OF PRAISE

Above: ‘The Blackest Thing on the Menu’ Album Artwork

“This Is the Music America Needs” 
– Farah Stockman, The New York Times, August 5, 2023

NASHVILLE, TN (June 14, 2024) — Today, Gangstagrass — trailblazers in a distinct musical genre of their own design — deliver their delectable 10-track album, The Blackest Thing on the Menu, that packs a flavorful blend of zest, rhythm and soul. With The Blackest Thing on the Menu, Gangstagrass once again seamlessly melds the rich American traditions of bluegrass and hip-hop, delving into the foundational elements of each genre. As No Depression underscored: “While 2024 is the year of ‘Cowboy Carter,’ Gangstagrass has been plying the junction of country and rap since 2007. This takes the pressure of breaking new ground off ‘The Blackest Thing on the Menu’ and allows it to be what it is: a solid collection of summer jams.”

The Blackest Thing on the Menu marks the band’s seventh full-length album. With over a decade of shattering barriers and touring globally, this rebellious collective has achieved unparalleled success, crafting an innovative sound deeply rooted in historically significant heritage.

Stream The Blackest Thing on the Menu HERE. Order The Blackest Thing on the Menu HERE.

Having roots across the country, the ensemble has skillfully blended the traditional sounds of fiddles and banjos with contemporary hip-hop beats. This distinctive fusion and artistic ingenuity have catapulted Gangstagrass to global acclaim. Praised by esteemed outlets such as  The New York Times, Forbes, Rolling Stone, NPR, Vice, HipHopDX, and The Wall Street Journal, the band has also been featured on national broadcasts, including PBS.

EARLY PRAISE FOR THE BLACKEST THING ON THE MENU:

“Gangstagrass is certainly among the most engaging and provocative acts in and around bluegrass music…It may be jarring at first to followers of either part of this genre blend, but they do it with such skill and panache that it really works on both levels.”
— John Lawless, Bluegrass Today, February 1, 2024

“Melding bluegrass and hip-hop, urban and rural, fiddles and rhymes, Gangstagrass manages a hard feat: creating something that sounds like a completely new genre.”
— Chris Griffy, No Depression, February 19, 2024

“Gangstagrass’ reputation has been built on a clever and never corny mashup of bluegrass instrumentation and fire-spitting hip-hop...new song ‘Good at Being Bad,’… a rewarding curveball from the band that ups anticipation for new album ‘The Blackest Thing on the Menu.’” 
— Addie Moore, Wide Open Country, March 8, 2024

“Gangstagrass have solidified their status… through sharp musical chops and even more impressive hip-hop flows… their skills are strong enough to appeal to fans of all the genres they cover, making them a true melting pot of a group.” 
—  Glide Magazine, May 9, 2024

 “The world’s foremost outfit combining bluegrass with rap, hip-hop, R&B, and more. We’ve been fans of Gangstagrass at BGS for years.”
— Ed Helms, Bluegrass Situation (“Good Country”), June 5, 2024

The conception of the album’s title came about last year while the band was eating dinner at a “blues-themed restaurant in my hometown,” MC and vocalist Dolio the Sleuth explains. “There was a Juneteenth-themed menu that had a bunch of ‘blackened’ spicy items. One of us asked the server for ‘the blackest thing on the menu,’ and it turned out to be blackened shrimp and cheese grits… which, of course, we all ordered.” Brought up again while on the road a few months later, “That ‘eureka’ look struck over all of our faces, the rain stopped, and I kid you not, TWO rainbows appeared in the sky,” Dolio continues. “We then had no choice but to acknowledge that the heavens were blessing the moment that the title appeared.”

As time passed, the title acquired an entirely new significance, “especially at this moment of conversation about race and country music, after we have played so many bluegrass and folk festivals where the Black influence on country music was not represented except by us,” producer, founder, and vocalist Rench details. “We were trying to find an album title for a while, to the point where we were really throwing in all kinds of funny ideas, and this one seemed funny for being so brash at first, we were in the tour van laughing. But then we stopped laughing and it sunk in how appropriate it is.” 

Dolio concludes,“We recognized that when we’re at festivals we are indeed the spiciest thing on the menu, the one with the most intense flavor. This album is bringing the heat, the spice, the flavor and the down-home cookin’ all in one.”

Above: Gangstagrass performing live; Credit: Melodie Yvonne
L-R: Dan “Danjo” Whitener, R-SON the Voice of Reason, Dolio the Sleuth, Rench, B.E. Farrow

Highlighted in The Bluegrass Situation, “Mother” — the fifth single from the LP — features a smooth beat paired with poetic lyrics that ponder some of the most serious issues facing humanity today. Royalties from “Mother” will benefit Friends of the Congo (FOTC), a non-profit organization based in Washington, DC. The FOTC was established in 2004 to work in partnership with Congolese to bring about peaceful and lasting change in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Fans are encouraged to stream the track, and to use the song in their videos on TikTok and Instagram to contribute to the relief efforts.

“It was a great stretch of our musical muscles to dissect banjo notes and fiddles into something with such a spacious sound,” Rench explains. “Then unexpectedly we got fast rolls in a whirlwind jam. Influences of hip-hop and bluegrass can be fused in a million ways, and we certainly came at this one from a different direction.”

Share / Watch the “Mother” music video below:

Accompanied by a music video filmed in rural Virginia, the album’s fourth single, “Obligatory Braggadocio,” is a “country-bro banger” that showcases the band’s genre-blending style with powerful guitar rhythms, intense beats, and assertive lyrics about flexing their swagger, featuring imagery of big wheels on oversized trucks.

The third single off the album — “Up High Do or Die” — cleverly interpolates elements from “Jerusalem Ridge,” carrying a co-write with Bill Monroe, the “Father of Bluegrass.” Rench describes it as an “uprising jam that gets your blood pumping, barreling at you like a comet.” 

The album’s sophomore single, “Good at Being Bad” was co-produced by the GRAMMY-Award winning Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell and recorded at Royal Studios in Memphis, TN. “Working with the band was awesome. I had been hip to them for a few years and was really diggin’ what they were doing,” Mitchell said. “To record these amazing lyricists with a live smackin’ band!! What more could you ask for!!”

The lead single from the album, titled “The Only Way Out Is Through,”  made its debut on Bluegrass Today and features Jerry Douglas, a 15-time GRAMMY winner and three-time CMA “Musician of the Year” recipient. The accompanying music video had its exclusive premiere via The Bluegrass Situation.

THE BLACKEST THING ON THE MENU TRACK LISTING:

“The Only Way Out Is Through” (feat. Jerry Douglas)
“Good at Being Bad”
“Up High Do or Die” (feat. LowDown Brass Band)
“Gone Gone”
“Mother” (feat. Reef the Lost Cauze)
“Obligatory Braggadocio”
“Avenue Boy”
“Palette”
“It’s Alive” (feat. Saul Paul)
“Sankofa”

Above: Inside CD Sleeve  / Liner Notes

As part of a busy festival season, Gangstagrass will take center stage as the Friday headliners for three major international festivals: the Montelago Celtic Festival in Italy on August 2, returning to the USA for the Philadelphia Folk Festival on August 16, where they will be leading a workshop spotlighting the Jim Crow-era origins of American music genres, then back across the pond for UK’s Shrewsbury Folk Festival on August 23.

For a complete list of upcoming Gangstagrass shows, visit their website HERE.

Above all, Gangstagrass emphasizes the value of education, conducting workshops for K-12, college students, and adults of diverse backgrounds. Whether through engaging Q&A sessions, historical lessons, or spontaneous music tutorials, the group staunchly advocates for imparting well-rounded knowledge to everyone. 

Fans can now text the band at (+1) 504-224-7700 – send them your weirdest text message or a fun fact or just say hi, and they’ll read it!

Above: Gangstagrass; Credit: Melodie Yvonne
L-R: Dan "Danjo" Whitener, Dolio the Sleuth, Rench, R-SON the Voice of Reason, B.E. Farrow

ABOUT GANGSTAGRASS: 

Conceived as a studio endeavor 15 years ago by Rench, a Brooklyn-based producer handling vocals, guitar, and beats, Gangstagrass has evolved into a vibrant and improvisational band, forging camaraderie from the most unexpected of origins. The group harmonizes the unwavering array of skills from Rench, R-SON the Voice of Reason (MC), and Dolio the Sleuth (MC, Vocals), in addition to featuring other brilliant instrumentalists, most recently  Ricky “Banjo Daddy” Mier (Banjo, Vocals), Jeremy Aaron (Fiddle, Vocals), Dan Whitener (Banjo, Dobro, Mandolin, Harmonica, Vocals), and B.E. Farrow (Fiddle, Vocals). With roots across the country, the ensemble has skillfully blended the traditional sounds of fiddles and banjos with contemporary hip-hop beats. This unique synergy and creative innovation have propelled the band to worldwide success. As the pioneers who made history as the first-ever band to bring real hip-hop MCs to the #1 spot on the Billboard Bluegrass Chart, Gangstagrass is well-acquainted with challenging norms. Their groundbreaking work led to them receiving UNESCO’s “International Innovator” award. Particularly noteworthy is their creation of the iconic “Long Hard Times to Come” — which served as the opening theme song for every episode of the hit FX show Justified — earning Gangstagrass a 2010 Primetime Emmy nomination in the “Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music” category. The group also saw recognition on America’s Got Talent in 2021, as judge Howie Mandel praised Gangstagrass as “the recipe that America has been looking for until now,” ultimately reaching the quarter-finals. Their educational outreach and the vast diversity of people in their live audiences all dancing together garnered Gangstagrass The New York Times headline “This Is the Music America Needs.” 

GANGSTAGRASS ONLINE:
WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | FACEBOOK | LINKEDIN