Hello “Brodie World” AG Club has arrived

“I need it. I need it.” are the opening lines to AG Clubs single “Barry” and they perfectly reflect my feelings towards this album. The AG Club shared a new record, Brodie World, this week. Before we can even get into the music on this record we have to talk about who the AG Club are and why you need to start following along with what they are doing.

The AG Club are a hip-hop collective located in Southern California and what stands out about this group of talented youngsters is that the rapping is primarily done by only two of the members. These musical mastheads are Baby Boy and Jody Fontaine. Bay Area-born and raised, they moved to Southern California and helped grow their crew to what they are today. The collective they help build are not just a handful of wannabe rappers, but instead a collective of dedicated and talented artists including but not limited to producers, filmmakers, artists, graphic designers, and designers.

The group has an obvious drive to honor their musical history and to push the boundaries of what is being made today. All you have to do is check their website, Instagram, or any of the online forums their fans are talking about them on to see how involved they are in the culture of today. The collective behind the two rappers works to push the boundaries of every medium they work in, giving the music as many new facets as possible. The talent is so clear. You cannot miss what they are doing.

It’s impossible to talk about a hip-hop collective and not draw comparisons to Brockhamptom. Where Brockhampton brought the internet’s freneticism to their music, AG club brings Southern California hip-hop roots and temperament to theirs. Their music has strong production and the tracks on Brodie World are filled with complex layered beats. Along with a classic mix of drums and distorted basses, you hear layers of choral voices and harmonies, horns, bells, keys, and voice memo recordings.

Their ascetic is bright and sunbleached and you can feel the summer backyard party in every beat. The music also contains a drive to it that doesn’t just lend itself to sitting in the yard smoking a joint. It would also be the perfect soundtrack to the sunset cruise around the block in your friend’s car or for setting the vibe at that night’s function. You can find this feeling in the music video for their single “Barry” directed by AG Club member Manny Madrigal. The music video is washed with warm bright tones and vibrant pastel colors while the rappers are engaging in high energy daredevilish stunts. It is both sick and very laid back.

Their stand-out track on the album for me was “The Iron Giant”. The track moves in cinematic stages beginning with a prayer to “rest and revival” for strength before describing to us the difficulties of this life they lead. The production on the track is superb with a beat that goes from a calm to hype at the drop of a hat that you feel in your whole body.

Brodie World drops April 26th/Brodie World is available to stream right now and keep your eyes peeled for this group to release their summer tour dates. After coming off a 2023 that saw them bring down the house at Coachella and Camp Flog Gnaw, they are going to be putting on the show of a lifetime everywhere they play with the force of this new album.