11.01.18

Rappers don’t come raunchier than CupcakKe. Since going viral in 2015 with early tracks Vagina and Deepthroat, the 20-year-old Chicago native has been honing her skills across a slew of mixtapes and albums. By the end of 2017, the popularity of her consistently crude social media presence had won her a legion of fans – the ‘slurpers’ – which positioned her as a potential breakthrough star. Now, CupcakKe has delivered her third album Ephorize, which once again amps up her X-rated blueprint. As usual, the pussy jokes come thick and fast, as do the hilariously filthy rhyming couplets and the eyebrow-raising analogies: “Covered in all my cum the dick be looking like a goose” is a standout example of her amazingly dirty taste in similes.

CupcakKe’s lyrics have always been this explicit; what makes Ephorize a step up is her evident confidence and ability to effortlessly ride any beat. On Cartoons she proclaims herself to be “cocky like Johnny Bravo” – and she has every right to be. And while the album functions as a great party record, progressive politics drive her vulgarity, and she waxes lyrical on everything from LGBTQ rights (Crayons) and body confidence to Eurocentric beauty standards and slut-shaming.

Sure, there are few clunky couplets and the album would benefit from a few of the EDM-lite tracks being trimmed. But ultimately Ephorize sees CupcakKe flex like an established pro. Not only is it guaranteed to keep her slurpers happy, it’s an example of an artist in her prime and a brilliantly filthy riposte to an increasingly buttoned-up world.

Jake Hall