YO MAJESTY at the Drake Hotel (1150 Queen West), Saturday (June 9), midnight. $5, free w/ $28 NXNE wristband. 416-531-5042. Rating: NNNNN
Just to give you an idea of how cool Yo Majesty are, they denied us an interview because they want to stave off all the inevitable hype until later this year when their proper album comes out.
Like an old man feeling a storm in his bones hours before it hits, I’m positive this Tampa trio of Shon B., Shunda K. and Jwl B. is going to be the biggest Florida export since the orange.
They sound like an all-girl 2 Live Crew for the Spank Rock/Plastic Little set, and already their Yo EP has made an early spash. Though magazines in the U.S. and UK have been fighting to invent the best sub-sub-genre to describe Yo Majesty, no one seems to be feeling my suggestion: “post-wave-Disney-grimehall-hop.”
High-bpm 808 burners like Monkey, where YM order you to “rub on my monkey” with deadpan sexuality, or, yes, the remix of their insta-hit Club Action, which sets their nasty hooks against an Enya sample, a throbbing bass and a Baltimore club break, justify the hype.
The shit is energetic, weird, catchy, esoteric and totally accessible at once. So go ‘head, Yo Majesty, we ain’t mad you won’t talk to us. With dates lined up with CSS, Bonde Do Role and Diplo this summer plus Saturday’s sure-to-be-insane show, you’ve got a busy time ahead.
