Hookless New York crime rapper Rx Papi teams up with ethereal Swedish cloud producer Yung Gud on “Foreign Exchange,” delivering one of the most exciting rap albums in recent memory. I’m going to ignore the backstory of both of these artists and pretend that the album came to fruition from the following scenario: In the increasingly emotionally empathetic global landscape, the Swedish embassy realizes that the utopian country could do more to help the underprivileged people of the world. The country starts a foreign exchange program with the New York borough of Harlem, and none other than Rx Papi is selected to study abroad for a semester. Pap arrives in Sweden to find a land of free healthcare, pristine public transportation, and low incarceration rates. He meets a fellow hip hop artist Yung Gud, who tries to show Pap the enlightened Swedish lifestyle, but something is off. Pap starts to get in trouble, not interested in the banal bourgeoisie way of Swedish life. Instead of spending his time learning how to play tennis, he opts to spend his time gobbling percs, crashing Audis, and of course rapping. Before Pap gets kicked out of the country for bad behavior, he and Gud produce 19 minutes of pure eclectic bliss, combining both of their cultures for a collaboration that is both playful and psychedelic as well as violent and aggressive.

    However, of course, the real way this album emerged was through Gud DMing Rx Papi on Instagram to link up. The two texted beats and verses back and forth over 8 months (before Pap went to jail, where he is currently) in order to make “Foreign Exchange”. Rx Papi’s harrowing stories of crack addiction, gun violence and imprisonment flow oddly well over the silky, atmospheric Gud production. The first song, “12 Stout Street,” is monumental, with the kind of beat that hijacks you and shifts you into a place. The rest of the album does not quite live up to this standout, but for 19 minutes Gud and Pap take the listener on an intriguing odyssey into the lives of two underground rap standouts. It is extremely interesting to hear two artists communicate over this medium, with Papi expressing deeply personal anecdotes and Gud delivering equally emotional, melodic production. I think the timespan of this album is perfect; at 19 minutes we are fully submerged in this odd world without it overstaying its welcome or becoming bloated. “Foreign Exchange” delivers a wholly unique sound, and serves as a promising expression of post-internet rap.