Spank Rock

Spank Rock surfaced as a standout act uniting the underground hip-hop circuit with dirty rap, two scenes that seldom intersect, while channeling the high-energy party atmosphere of Baltimore’s club circuit. The act originated through the partnership of MC Naeem Juwan, performing as Spank Rock, and producer XXXchange, born Alex Epton. Although both originated in Baltimore, they first connected only after each had spent several years creating music in other cities. Juwan began rapping during middle school, and a connection with producer Shawn J. Period, known for work with Mos Def and Talib Kweli, steered him toward rap as a profession and toward Philadelphia as his base. XXXchange trained at Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, followed by a brief period at the New England Conservatory, before relocating to New York to drum for the indie electronic band Zero Zero, whose 2001 album AM Gold was produced by the sought-after DFA camp; he additionally completed a production apprenticeship at DFA, supporting James Murphy and Tim Goldsworthy.

A mutual acquaintance, Alex Rockswell, brought Juwan and XXXchange together at a Baltimore art gallery, after which the pair started collaborating immediately, with Rockswell later serving as their DJ. Capturing the fertile though seldom exported character of Baltimore’s club scene, Spank Rock’s tracks incorporated the skeletal breakbeats of electro and bass alongside glitch and grime textures, while Juwan supplied the hyper-sexual rhymes essential to an authentic Baltimore sound. Following their signing to the influential British label Big Dada, the duo attracted notice with the early singles “Backyard Betty” and “Rick Rubin.” Spank Rock’s debut album, YoYoYoYoYo, appeared in April 2006. XXXchange separately assembled the mix album Voila, matching his bruising beats with pop songs drawn from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s.

In 2007 Spank Rock issued the mixtape Fabriclive.33 and signed with Downtown Records. Shortly thereafter he joined producer Benny Blanco for the satirical booty bass EP Spank Rock and Benny Blanco Are... Bangers & Cash. While Juwan was midway through recording his second full-length, label reservations postponed the project. After ultimately regaining rights to the masters, he released the album himself on Bad Blood Records in 2011. The resulting record, Everything Is Boring and Everyone Is a Fucking Liar, featured production from Boyz Noise together with appearances by Santigold, Big Freedia, and Pharrell Williams.