Single: Nef The Pharaoh & ShooterGang Kony – “Vice Versa” ft. Sage The Gemini & Raymond McMahon

The Vallejo Rhymer and the Sacramento Upstart Connect with the HBK Star for a The 405-Premiered Single From the Upcoming Vice Versa EP

11.2.2018

Critical Praise:

“It’s been nearly three years since Nef The Pharaoh took the Bay Area by storm with his breakout hit ‘Big Tymin’.’ Since then, under the tutelage of E-40, the South Vallejo rapper has become an ambassador of the region in his own right, championing artists like SOB X RBE, OMB Peezy, and others.” – The FADER

20 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2016 – Neffy Got Wings (#3) – FACT

2016 was the West Coast’s time to shine, and few rappers shined as brightly as Nef – FACT

“Neffy Got Wings is the album of the week” – Stereogum

“…the best rapper from Vallejo since the last great rapper from Vallejo” – Jeff Weiss

“…as a rapper, [Nef the Pharaoh] lets the energy lead and the bars follow, boasting and flexing with the kinds of memorable banalities that make up some of hip-hop’s best yet least-celebrated moments.” –Pitchfork

“Nef The Pharaoh is the Bay Area’s next up.” – HotNewHipHop

“Nef the Pharaoh runs neck-and-neck with Kodak Black as the most promising up-and-coming rapper who can’t yet rent a car.” – SPIN

“There may be no rapper working right now who brings more good cheer and positive vibes than Vallejo’s Nef the Pharaoh” – Noisey

The Single:

United by a love of clever bars and breakneck flows, Vallejo’s Nef The Pharaoh and Sacramento’s ShooterGang Kony have a natural and inviting chemistry. Slowing their roll atop skittering hi-hats and gently plinked electric piano, Nef and Kony brag about their winning ways on “Vice Versa,” their latest single, premiered by The 405. Produced by Sage The Gemini, who also contributes a laid-back hook, “Vice Versa” is a lyrical showcase for both rappers, proving that they excel even when outside of their comfort zone of hyperactive slappers. Adopting a “Weezy” flow, Nef creatively name drops celebrities and fellow rappers in his verse: “For the Euros I never side step/I am Salt Bae with the pyrex.” Meanwhile, ShooterGang Kony lives up to his name, bragging about his skill with arms: “I got a jump shot, the cleanest one/Shoot with both hands, slip with gun/Tryna shoot up the after party/I came with hoes, I’m gon leave with one.” Featuring an appearance from Raymond McMahon, brings his soaring melody to the song’s chorus, “Vice Versa” is the title track from the upcoming Vice Versa EP, a six-track collaboration between Nef and Kony. Featuring the raucous video single “Ludacris,” premiered in October by HYPEBEAST, Vice Versa EP drops on November 9th via KILFMB / Sick Wid It / EMPIRE

Breaking through with his self-titled 2015 EP and its hit single “Big Tymin‘,” the 23-year-old Nef The Pharaoh quickly established himself as one of the most unique and popular emcees in the Bay. Signed to E-40’s Sick Wid It Records, the charismatic emcee is a fixture on regional radio, releasing an acclaimed collaborative EP with Cardo Got Wingz (Kendrick Lamar, Drake) in 2016 and hitting in 2017 with the single “Bling Blaow,” which features Slimmy B of SOB x RBE. In April 2018, Nef shared his debut album The Big Chang Theory, which earned praise from Noisey, who raved “it’s a joyous, melodic project with the old school, timeless feel we’ve come to expect from Nef the Pharaoh. Do yourself a favor and play this in a car as soon as physically possible,” and Pitchfork, who said “Nef is the rare rapper who whose music feels free—free of narrative cohesion, outside interference, or any sense of pressure.” This summer, Nef shared Porter2Grape, an action-packed 5-track collaborative EP with L.A. rapper 03 Greedo. The blistering EP, with the single “Ball Out,” featuring ALLBLACK, and the Pitchfork Best New Track “Blow-Up Bed,“ is currently available for stream and purchase via EMPIRE.

Listen to “Vice Versa” ft. Sage The Gemini & Raymond McMahon:
https://empire.lnk.to/ViceVersaSingle // https://soundcloud.com/nefidelaphante/nef-the-pharaoh-shootergang-kony-vice-versa-feat-sage-the-gemini-raymond-mcmahon/

Pre-order Vice Versa EP: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/vice-versa-ep/1439128854?app=itunes

Check out the premiere:

Vice Versa EP tracklist:

1. “Sig ‘N A Draky”
2. “Ludacris”
3. “Vice Versa” ft. Sage The Gemini & Raymond McMahon
4. “Picked Off”
5. “Best of Both Worlds”
6. “Where I’m From”

Please contact Michelle for more info.

The Background:

Praised by Jeff Weiss as “the best rapper from Vallejo since the last great rapper from Vallejo,” the legend Mac Dre being his predecessor, 21 -year-old Nef The Pharaoh is one of the Bay Area’s most exciting young emcees. Signed to E-40‘s Sick Wid It Records, Nef The Pharaoh delivered his debut retail release, a self-titled EP, in November 2015 to high critical praise. Featuring the breakthrough radio hit “Big Tymin’,” which charted at #34 on San Francisco’s 106 KMEL‘s Top 106 Songs of 2015 and earned more than 7.7 million views on YouTube, the Nef The Pharaoh EP firmly established the rapper on the national scene. Nef followed his breakthrough project by joining producer Cardo for Neffy Got Wings, a collaborative EP which released in January, and by accompanying G-Eazy, A$AP Ferg, and Marc E. Bassy on the national When It’s Dark Out Tour. Nef followed up the EP with Fresh Outta Space 3, a “very Bay Area-y” mixtape that turned heads with its synthesis of regional sounds. In 2017, Nef released The Chang Project, featuring the hit single “Bling Blaow,” performed at Rolling Loud Bay Area and Rolling Loud Southern California and collaborated with OMB Peezy, SOB x RBE, and many more. His next project, The Boss Chang Theory, releases in 2018.