Yo Majesty: Futuristically Speaking Never Be Afraid

Known back in the day for promoting American

indie-rock acts overseas and more recently giving the world heavily hyped UK

post-punk bands like Franz Ferdinand and Arctic Monkeys, Domino Records doesn't

seem like the label for a debut from a Tampa, Florida female rap duo. But the

fact that Yo Majesty happens to be lesbian, Christian, and inclined to promises

like "I'ma tear dat pussy up" should be enough proof that Jwl B and Shunda K

are drawing outside of hip-hop's traditional lines. It seems like forever since

the electro-rap group made a splash at SXSW in 2007 with its trademark

high-energy, chest-exposing gigs, and Futuristically Speaking… Never Be

Afraid

doesn't deal well with the uphill climb faced by artists attempting to

replicate live magic in the studio. The music supplied by producers

Hardfeelings UK, Basement Jaxx, and others is serviceable at worst and at times

pretty great, but much of the subject matter that gets lost among flailing arms

and flapping breasts during live shows is exposed as boring, cliché, and/or lame

over the course of the album's 55 minutes. A notable exception is "Hott," which

may be the first time a rapper has talked about having an orgasm while taking a

piss.