Houston MC and dancer TisaKorean raps like he grew up surfing MySpace: he has an affinity for hip-hop styles that arose from regional subscenes or sound like they emerged fully formed on the Internet. His April album Mumu 8818 (JaZZZy / Nice Life) thrums with the sparse, punchy percussion of ringtone rap, and its chintzy synthetic squelches (such as the faux steel drums on “Jockin Me”) remind me of Soulja Boy’s early lo-fi productions. TisaKorean’s stylistic switcheroos share a spirit with the outre masterpieces of hip-hop’s blog era, and he borrows more than just the free-for-all aesthetic of 2000s underground hip-hop: his chameleonic, over-the-top performances on the mike show that he really understands that era’s emphasis on fun. Party music is more joyful when you can get a little silly, and TisaKorean has had silliness in him from the jump—and in case you missed it, there’s a track called “Silly Night” on Mumu 8818. The new album is a little more refined than 2023’s blissfully bonkers Let Me Update My Status, but I think that’s an improvement—blog rap faded away in the early 2010s, but on Mumu 8818 TisaKorean sounds like he’s figured out how to start a party that might never end.
TisaKorean Your Stepdad and Thirteendegrees° open. Sun 8/18, 8 PM, Schubas, 3159 N. Southport, $20, $18 in advance, 18+
