These two are almost veterans. Harry Fraud and Valee, indeed, have been two promising people over the 2010's. By the beginning of the decade, the former became a trendy producer after he collaborated with French Montana. As for Valee Taylor, he's been a protégé of Kanye West, his fellow Chicagoan, who's welcomed him at Good Music. Both have been up-and-coming rap artists. However, even though they earned the respect of well-informed people, they never really met with success. They failed at becoming real stars.

VALEE & HARRY FRAUD - Virtuoso

Harry Fraud and Valee are from the same generation, they are almost of the same age. And though, having them collaborating with one another was not granted. While the former is known for his generous beats and his classy samples, the latter has often opted for a minimalist kind of trap music, concocted with his partner-in-crime ChaseTheMoney.

Logically, that skeletal formula should fit better the frail and low-profile voice of the Chicagoan, than the pretty sounds of the New-Yorker. Harry Fraud, though, already proved that he could adapt his style to lethargic rappers, especially Curren$y. And actually, this new alliance works quite well.

At times, Harry Fraud gets low-key, like on "About That", with 03 Greedo. He too, can create some scrawny kind of trap music when needed, like on "Uppity", a track with another Chicagoan, Z Money. He does some erratic music, that fits well with the other's flow, like on "WTF", with some support from another man from the Windy City, Twista. It suits Valee's main subject matter, and these lyrics that are almost abstract, and that talk about material pleasures and signs of wealth, especially nice cars (green ones, according to "Watermelon Automobile"...), and luxury brands. Their styles complement each other much better than expected.

The producer leads the rapper on his own ground on "Vibrant", with his old collaborator Action Bronson and a sample from the soul band Brief Encounter. Together, they deliver some great songs, like with the organ on "Dutty Laundry", or the retrofuturistic ramblings of "Washington Wizard", two of the best tracks on this release, which main merit is to remind us about who Valee and Harry Fraud are.

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