NY-Based Rapper Deca Excels on Witty New Album ‘Snakes and Birds’

Prolific Denver-born rapper Deca has returned with a new LP, Snakes and Birds, which finds him delving into a vast array of timely subjects with his characteristically colorful social commentary.

Released via his own label, Beulah Records, the album comes as the latest in the NY-based hip-hop artist’s expansive oeuvre, following on from the likes of 2013’s The Ocean and 2017’s The Way Through. With vocals, production and even its artwork coming courtesy of Deca himself, the project is one of the DIY artist’s most cohesive bodies of work to date.

Weighing in at just 28 minutes in length and serving as a concept album of sorts thanks to its recurring themes, the album weaves in and out of eclectic spoken-word samples, ranging from sci-fi to politics to philosophy. Meanwhile, Deca muses on the flaws of human nature, highlighting corporate greed, shady politicians and our “morbid fascination with the strange” among other subjects with his signature wit, painting vivid pictures with nonsensical metaphors and no-holds-barred hyperbole.

While Deca has rarely featured other artists on his previous albums, Snakes and Birds is littered with unexpected guest appearances. Livin’ Legendz rap royalty Eligh tackles a verse on “Home Base”, an ironic ode to his neighbourhood, while emergent Atlanta singer/rapper ciggy turns in both a spellbinding chorus and a laidback verse for “High Wire”, dropping salient punchlines like “I’m out the mix, no Brexit” to add his own flair to the track.

Frequent collaborator DJ Stan Solo also shows up as per tradition, laying down some scratches on the ethereal interlude “Way Station”. Make no mistake, though—it’s Deca’s verve and charisma that command the most attention over the course of the LP, gluing the project together and leaving the listener with ample food for thought, be it personal or political ponderings.

Get stuck into Snakes and Birds below: