GOON DES GARCONS*

Goon Des Garcons is committed to the grind. The Arkansas-born rapper has never done things the easy way. He’s always dedicated himself to forging genuine artistic partnerships, to working hard, and it’s resulted in a stunning and singular body of work. Across the 2010s and beyond, he’s made increasingly progressive rap—over crushing, astral production—that resonates with listeners and peers who’ve struggled too. “I speak for the DIY spirit, for anyone who takes pride in their craft,” he says. “Everything these days is so manufactured, but my music is exactly what it is—a kid from Arkansas doing it himself.” Goon’s new album Sheesh was born of this unflagging artistic devotion. Captured in marathon recording sessions, it’s a liquor-stained memoir, rendering Goon’s rise as a “Black trash rockstar” in Los Angeles in cinematic snapshots. He tells Auto-Tuned tales of sleepless nights that begin with bottle service on the Sunset Strip, detour to the strip club, and end in the studio at sunrise. In addition to crooning and rhyming his direct, emotive lyrics alongside Cuco (“A24”) and Na-Kel (“Bully”), Goon worked with producers like Swiff D (Schoolboy Q, Logic) and Idle Kid (a longtime collaborator and fellow Arkansan) to create what he calls “peaceful chaos.” Each spaced-out, quaking song feels like a journey across the cosmos that ends at a cracking club. "Sheesh" is the culmination of years of sacrifice and uncertainty, both a reflection and a celebration.