Critical Praise:
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 Project:
Vallejo, California’s Nef The Pharaoh‘s elastic flow, affinity for sharp wordplay, and outsized charisma combine to make him one of the most popular and promising young rappers in the flourishing Bay Area hip-hop scene. Returning with his first new project of 2017, Nef shares The Chang Project, an effervescent portrait of the 22-year-old’s life as a rising rapper and recent father. Combining an old-school, colorful rhyming style with pristine, state-of-the-art Bay Area production, The Chang Project is a mature effort from Big Chang Chang, boasting highlights such as “Out There,” a poignant, yet buoyant tribute to The Jacka, the modal Timbaland-esque throwback “Bass Head,” and the OMB Peezy and Jay Ant featuring electro rap “Move4.” Featuring appearances from Ty Dolla $ign, Larry June, Caleborate, OMB Peezy, Jay Ant, and others, but anchored by Nef’s ineffable energy and personality, The Chang Project is a consistent and absurdly fun slice of Bay Area rap, and the perfect appetizer for Nef’s upcoming debut album, The Big Chang Theory.
“I consider this the prelude to the upcoming Big Chang Theory album. I called it The Chang Project because one, Chang is my nickname and two, it’s my alias project. It’s 100% me, 100% Chang,” Nef explains. “Nobody told me what to say. Nobody told me to use these beats or get these features. It’s all music that I wanted to make and to hear. I’d categorize this project as ‘road trip music’ because it flows well from beginning to end. It was created for you to have fun experiences to with friends, riding to wherever you’re going. I was given the nickname ‘Chang’ by the late, great Johnny Ca$h, a popular rapper from the Bay Area who passed away 10 years ago. He rapped in the groups Money Gang and HoodFellas. I’d see him riding around with his fancy lifestyle and I’d compliment him on his jewelry and he’d me, ‘One day, you’ll have this too, Little Chang.’ I never got the chance to ask him how he came up with my name before he passed but I think it’s the sound of chains clinking, Like ‘chang chang.'”
After breaking out at the age of 19 with his 2015 radio smash “Big Tymin’,” Nef The Pharaoh continued to build his legend with two acclaimed mixtapes in 2016. The first tape, Neffy Got Wings, was an acclaimed full-length collab with “That Part” producer Cardo, and was followed by Fresh Outta Space 3 . Nef then went on a world tour supporting G-Eazy, showing that he’s ready to transition from regional stardom to national recognition. In the past two weeks, Nef shared the Noisey-premiered “Spice,” which featured SOB x RBE’s Yhung T.O., teamed up with Ty Dolla $ign for the Billboard-debuted sex jam “Back Out,” and recruited SOB x RBE’s Slimmy B for the aggressively lyrical “Bling Blaow.“ Released via Sick Wid It Records, The Chang Project is now available for stream and purchase.
The Chang Project: Empire.lnk.to/TheChangProject // https://soundcloud.com/nefidelaphante/sets/the-chang-project
Check out the XXL premiere: http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2017/04/nef-the-pharaoh-chang-project/
The Chang Project Tracklist:
1. Chang You Are My Life ft. Khyenci (Prod. by MigL Beatz)
2. Out There ft. Rydah J. Clyde (Prod. by Scorpe Dezel)
3. Don’t Stress ft. Caleborate (Prod. by Cal-A)
4. Spice ft. SOB x RBE (Yhung T.O.) (Prod. by Chris O’Bannon)
5. Back Out ft. Ty Dolla $ign (Prod. by Architekz)
6. Move4 ft. Omb Peezy, Jay Ant (Prod. by DTB)
7. loe Gino interlude ft. LOE Gino (Prod. by Young A)
8. Bling Blaow ft. SOB x RBE (Slimmy B) (Prod. by The Two. Fifteens)
9. Bass Head (Prod. by Architekz)
10. Cpt. Save A Hoe 2k17 ft. Larry June (Prod. by Scorp Dezel)
11. Remedy’s Interlude ft. Remedy (Prod. by Koast)
12. Klondike ft. Remedy, The Real Lil Kayla (Prod. by P-Lo)
13. Lauryn Hill (Prod. by West Side Webb)
14. Everything Big (Prod. by P-Lo)
15. My Niggas ft. Neech, SOB x RBE (Daboii & Lul G) (Prod. by Konz Beatz)
Please contact Michelle or Isabel for more info.
Praised by Jeff Weiss as “the best rapper from Vallejo since the last great rapper from Vallejo,” the legendMac Dre being his predecessor, 21 -year-old Nef The Pharaoh is one of the Bay Area’s most exciting young emcees. Signed to E-40‘s Sick Wid It Records, Nef The Pharaoh delivered his debut retail release, a self-titled EP, in November 2015 to high critical praise. Featuring the breakthrough radio hit “Big Tymin’,” which charted at #34 on San Francisco’s 106 KMEL‘s Top 106 Songs of 2015 and earned more than 7.7 million views on YouTube, the Nef The Pharaoh EP firmly established the rapper on the national scene. Nef followed his breakthrough project by joining producer Cardo for Neffy Got Wings, a collaborative EP which released in January, and by accompanying G-Eazy, A$AP Ferg, and Marc E. Bassy on the national When It’s Dark Out Tour. Nef’s next project, Fresh Outta Space 3, came out September 1st.
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The Chang Project: Empire.lnk.to/TheChangProject // https://soundcloud.com/nefidelaphante/sets/the-chang-project
“Bling Blaow!” ft. SOB x RBE (Slimmy B): https://soundcloud.com/nefidelaphante/bling-blaow-ft-sob-x-rbe-slimmy-b
“Back Out” ft. Ty Dolla $ign: https://soundcloud.com/nefidelaphante/back-out-feat-ty-dolla-ign
“Spice” ft. SOB x RBE (Yhung T.O.): https://youtu.be/MDn2QwxlOXU
“Put You On” ft. Juvenile: https://youtu.be/RmcdCIf7tDg
Fresh Out Space 3: https://soundcloud.com/nefidelaphante/sets/fresh-outta-space-3
Neffy Got Wings: https://soundcloud.com/nefidelaphante/sets/niffy-got-wings
“Big Tymin'”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3EPYFrBaoQ
Bio, photos, and streams available here: www.audibletreats.com/nef-the-pharaoh