17&18 is a duo from Detroit, Michigan called CRIM and Forever Foy. One of them I met in 2021 at the release party of Fatt Father’s fifth album “Soccer Dad”, produced by Middle Finger Music co-founder Foul Mouth, and the other started his career a year later and also founded his own label, Forever & a Day Entertainment. They met at a show in late 2024 and have been planning to release their own work ever since, dropping their feature-length studio debut to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
“No Direction” opens with the two members trading brutal bars over the piano, while “Higher Than You” segues into something weirder from there, with CRIM talking about fighting for everything she has and Foy admitting to being bipolar since her teenage years. “Not Rain” ties together a tedious flourish, telling the story of everything that attracts them before the ghostly “DNT CRY” advises against shedding tears for them.
By the midpoint, “The Bad Guy” has a bit more of a funky vibe instrumentally, talking about being in a badass era for their own advancement, while “Please Dont Roll Up My Window” goes a long way to explaining why they stayed in the underground because the mainstream is too tight right now. However, “Nobody Cares” has no drum beats, so they make it clear that people really don’t care how much other people complain or pray.
“Total Annihilation” became the moment 17 and 18 were born, spitting out hardcore verses over a chilling beat, while “RapCamp Retreat” starring Beezy Brown, Blizzard and Jay Hemlock and “We Gotta Cut” featuring J. Santino, Jenn Foy, Lyric Bell and SongByrd closed out “Wackman Closerd” “Wackests” starring “Wyotta” concludes “potta” starring “Wyotta”. The first clocks in at 5 minutes and takes a more difficult approach, the other clocks in at 6 minutes, except it ties everything together in a cuter way.
I haven’t really listened to much from Forever Foy so far, but having known CRIM for almost 5 years now, I wanted to give OuttaWack a chance, and it makes me understand why they formed 17&18, because as far as recent Motown pairings go, this isn’t that far off from Bill & Isiah’s 2023 self-titled debut. The two work together in the studio, dismissing any idea they think is a bad idea, without judgment or embarrassment.
Rating: 7/10
