by Dan O and Nick Marsh

Dan-O: If I was to call anyone in the world as a witness to question about Demon Slayer it would be the only emcee featured on the full length release by Lord OLO and TELEVANGEL. When I say that Demon Slayer is from another dimension, Squadda B (featured on track 2: Beyond It) would back me up because he erected the support beams that dimension rests upon. He produced Diamond Of God. Main Attrakionz mixtape 808’s & Dark Grapes II turned the rigid lines of rap theory squiggly. They built a place not punchline reliant, not RZA gritty or DJ Quik G-Funk. Mondre M.A.N. and Squadda B threw a knuckleball project we couldn’t dissect into pieces, point at the parts, then reassemble. It was greater than the sum and it got greater every time you tried to sum it up. Demon Slayer is from there. It is one of the most continually engaging listens of 2024, an album I never drift away from. I know a lot of folks are nostalgic for the 90s but I wasn’t two songs into Demon Slayer before I was swearing “This is F*#king cloud rap!”

OG NICK MARSH: I see what you mean. Despite me not being familiar with Main Attrakionz outside of their feature on my favorite song from A$AP Rocky’s classic LiveLoveA$AP project, your description of their groundbreaking mixtape aligns with my experience with Demon Slayer. I had no idea what to make of this project the first time I heard it. All I knew was that I really liked it. It just threw a lot of curveballs at me because many moments sound completely different from anything on Lord OLO’s preceding release, Al Chimera. I recently saw a post on social media from TELEVANGEL in which he questioned whether or not the general idea of a “highbrow” and “lowbrow” dichotomy in Rap music was becoming more extreme. It seems to be something that comes in waves and differs from generation to generation. I remember wrestling with this divide in my teenage years; I claimed to hate Young Thug, and didn’t want to admit that songs like Numbers & OD go hard in the paint. There are songs on here where I perceived some Thugger DNA, most notably on Find Me. I also was not expecting the album to start the way it did with Awayyy (God Said) at all, and part of me wondered if the entire project would sound like that. While the melodic vocal elements did return at multiple points throughout the record, there are so many different sounds and styles incorporated here that you can’t really box it in.

Dan-O: Demon Slayer is all about kinetic energy. Some albums you sit with and listen several times waiting for that point where the potential of the songs actualizes. You never have to wait on Demon Slayer. By song five your whole body is losing it to Devil In The Backseat. This isn’t an album for the club, gym, or even a rainy day. This is a road trip album of the highest caliber. Sonically, it’s one of TELEVANGEL’s greatest achievements because it never feels challenging even though it is totally different from anything in the market today. These textures bury themselves so deeply within the listener, they just work and continue to work. Very few producers can provide sonic consistency on the level TELEVANGEL can, pulling disparate directions into coordinated efforts. OLO is the right partner because of how much bounce he brings to his flows. I don’t think of OLO as having a traditional flow, but it certainly isn’t traditionally non-traditional either. By that I mean, the rappers who get accused of being off beat and are more literary in presentation. OLO writes like the verse is important but bounces like he knows we need to stay awake for the road trip. We have a lot of driving to do. How would you compare the OLO & TELEVANGEL relationship against others (Milc, AJ Suede)?

OG NICK MARSH: I definitely view Lord OLO as the most versatile and experimental artist that TELEVANGEL continually works with, mostly because of this album in particular. The AJ Suede collaborations are stellar, but I still have somewhat of an idea of what to expect going into them. I feel like Lord OLO is more of a chameleon. Perhaps that’s not the best metaphor since Lord OLO doesn’t necessarily “blend in” with the production so to speak. It feels like these beats elicit something special from him that we couldn’t get elsewhere. I say none of this to downplay the relationship between Suede & TELEVANGEL because they obviously have a very special connection. However, it does feel like there’s a different kind of dynamic at play here.

Dan-O: This is such a consistent journey front to back that I worry giving favorite songs might reduce it to simplified high points. What I want to do is talk about our favorite moments on Demon Slayer. The simple definition: anything that sticks in your brain about the album, that you can shut your eyes and hear vividly. On the second song (Beyond It) Squadda B’s guest verse should be done—he pauses to let the hook launch and then comes back in to say, “I could keep going only ‘cause I love the beat, TELEVANGEL I’m an angel myself up on the street.” Someone as incredible at producing as Squadda making space to give love to TELEVANGEL for carrying on this form is a 2024 moment for me. It’s the inspiration for the first paragraph of this conversation. In terms of bringing me joy, the vocal doubling behind Devil In The Backseat always delivers. The “whew!” and hilarious voices OLO does are just fantastic. It gives you permission to fully enjoy the song. To end with the simplest, when the beat for Khrist Like started, that was a moment for me. My face scrunched into itself and my head was nodding furiously.

OG NICK MARSH: This album is chock full of idiosyncrasies. The extra instrumentation that comes in towards the end of Overlord made my eardrums feel like they were being baptized. I also love the way Lord OLO’s rap verse begins on Devil In The Backseat. The majority of that track is sung, but the way he starts rapping around the midpoint is really awesome. That’s one of the best songs of 2024 for me. There’s also a really cool, yet bizarre, reverberating vocal motif that pops up at multiple points on Let It Be. It sounds like mythological sirens to me. Medicine has one of the best hooks I’ve heard all year, and I would absolutely love to hear that song performed live. However, my number one favorite track on this project is definitely Anyday. This is where OLO’s rapping performance reaches a climax for me. The hunger is on full display; I feel like OLO is really demanding the recognition he deserves here. Not only is the lyricism excellent, but his fiery vocal performance helps to sell it. The last thing I wanna mention is the weird dry mouth sound toward the end of Enough Is the Most. I thought that was pretty funny.