Riff Raff @ Crescent Ballroom

On the cover of his just-released sophomore album, Neon Icon, Riff Raff stands in front of hot pink and blue laser beams clutching a Husky puppy in one arm and a dumbstruck toddler in the other. You might not want the Houston-based rapper to watch your kids or dog, but...

By Troy Farah

May 1, 2014

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On the cover of his just-released sophomore album, Neon Icon, Riff Raff stands in front of hot pink and blue laser beams clutching a Husky puppy in one arm and a dumbstruck toddler in the other. You might not want the Houston-based rapper to watch your kids or dog, but if you're looking for an insane night, this just might be your MC. And this is not your "haha, we drank too many cosmos and can't remember much" insane. It's more like "let's tattoo the BET logo on ourselves, take selfies with Harmony Korine, record a song about agriculture with Andy Milonakis and Dirty Nasty, and drive around on mushrooms" insane. Indeed, these are the kinds of afterschool specials Riff Raff likes to get on, albeit not in one evening. Many called into question the authenticity of Horst Christian Simco (a name that explains his taking a stage name, that of the hunchback in The Rocky Horror Picture Show). If the past few months of bizarre frothing and insane collabs (everyone from Drake to Snoop Lion to 2 Chains to Wiz Khalifa appears on Neon Icon) have proved anything, Riff Raff is the animal he claims to be.

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Troy Farah is an independent journalist and documentary field producer. He has worked with VICE, Fusion, LA Weekly, Golf Digest, BNN, Tucson Weekly, and Phoenix New Times.

Contact: Troy Farah

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Twitter: @filth_filler