Known back in the day for promoting American
indie-rock acts overseas and more recently giving the world heavily hyped UK
post-punk bands like Franz Ferdinand and Arctic Monkeys, Domino Records doesn't
seem like the label for a debut from a Tampa, Florida female rap duo. But the
fact that Yo Majesty happens to be lesbian, Christian, and inclined to promises
like "I'ma tear dat pussy up" should be enough proof that Jwl B and Shunda K
are drawing outside of hip-hop's traditional lines. It seems like forever since
the electro-rap group made a splash at SXSW in 2007 with its trademark
high-energy, chest-exposing gigs, and Futuristically Speaking… Never Be
Afraid
doesn't deal well with the uphill climb faced by artists attempting to
replicate live magic in the studio. The music supplied by producers
Hardfeelings UK, Basement Jaxx, and others is serviceable at worst and at times
pretty great, but much of the subject matter that gets lost among flailing arms
and flapping breasts during live shows is exposed as boring, cliché, and/or lame
over the course of the album's 55 minutes. A notable exception is "Hott," which
may be the first time a rapper has talked about having an orgasm while taking a
piss.