It's hard to tell when the sweater transitioned from dad-wear to rap-wear. Maybe it was a generational imprint left behind by The Cosby Show, or an inevitable byproduct of the V-neck's reemergence. New York rapper Beans offers no answers in "Deathsweater," but he does give his get-up a full introduction: "Socks from Paul Smith, shirts from Steven Allen / Pierre Hardy for the shoes, in the mirror I'm stylin'."
When discussing the colorful cut off his new album End It All, Beans told The Village Voice that the title originated from the idiom "dressed to kill," and that the sweater happens to his weapon of choice. As "lethal" as a stylish cardigan or vest might be, it's hard to take it seriously when boasted about over DJ Nobody's summery beat. But when it comes to flow, Beans is as stylish and serious as a model making her way down the runway.
Beans developed his rapping skills as one-fourth of the hip-hop collective Antipop Consortium. He was the standout among that crew, and he comes across as untethered when going solo, spitting rhymes with consistency and quickness. But what makes him particularly compelling in "Deathsweater" is how he finds the right moments to step on the verbal accelerator, then drops back in tempo without pause. As a result, "Deathsweater" sounds flashy and fun, just as good fashion should be.
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