The Koreatown Oddity - Purdy (2026) [Hi-Res]

American rapper Dominique Purdy, performing as Koreatown Oddity, has been making candid, sharp, humorous hip-hop since his 2013 debut No Health Insurance. Like his closest contemporary Open Mike Eagle, he also works in comedy, so he fits naturally on Stones Throw, a label that nurtures offbeat boom-bap and dusty left-field beats. His new self-titled album Purdy is built on the contrast between material scarcity and inner wealth. On "Balance Beam," paying for groceries with an EBT card, he is recognized by a fan, and on "Damsel" he brags about jazz and giving his daughter a bath. By his account, his mother helped write the lyrics for the posse cut "Several Verses." Family and home matter most to him: even his stage name points to where he comes from. He can also bite back: on "Dracula's Reflection" he fires back at critics, and on "Festivus," with its Seinfeld samples, he follows Frank Costanza in brushing off other people's opinions. He likes instantly recognizable pop-culture samples, such as Jafar from Disney's Aladdin on "Lava Lamp." His production is inventive: on "Sense 2 U," a helicopter spiraling out of control is set against a toddler's voice. He keeps up a stream of wisecracks, bends words into unusual enjambments, and, in the manner of Homeboy Sandman, turns "Damsel" into "dam-sol." The closing "Yahtzee" is built on every line rhyming with the name of the board game ("hot seat," "tchochkes," and "Nazis," whom he vows to win over in language unfit for print).

Tracklist:
1. The Koreatown Oddity - Dancing with the Trees (feat. Gary Wilson)
2. The Koreatown Oddity - Draculas Reflection
3. The Koreatown Oddity - Balance Beam
4. The Koreatown Oddity - Festivus (feat. Trenttruce)
5. The Koreatown Oddity - Ragu & Prego
6. The Koreatown Oddity - Sense 2 U
7. The Koreatown Oddity - Damsel
8. The Koreatown Oddity - À La Mode
9. The Koreatown Oddity - Halloumi & Watermelon
10. The Koreatown Oddity - Artist in the Painting
11. The Koreatown Oddity - Great Weekends
12. The Koreatown Oddity - Several Verses (feat. Skyler Duf, 3Qwestions, Ashanti Lewis, Dion Lack)
13. The Koreatown Oddity - Astro Turf
14. The Koreatown Oddity - Lava Lamp
15. The Koreatown Oddity - Yahtzee