Matthew Sliter doesn’t really have any demons or anything like that.
For those who aren’t steeped in Memphis rap, or aren’t serious collectors of rare bootleg cassettes, chances are Paranoid Funk hasn’t bled into or out of your speakers yet. The album, written and recorded by Lil’ NoiD when he was still a teenager, was a lynchpin that helped shape the Memphis rap scene as it surged into prominence during the early- and mid-1990’s. An early discovery of Juicy J’s, Lil’ NoiD appeared with the Three 6 Mafia captain on his 1994 cut “Break Yo Self Bitch,” and then again on the local hit, “Ridin In Da Chevy,” (“Ridin” also featured Lil’ Fly, now known as Playa Fly.)
Paranoid Funk is now getting its first official release by way of Delroy Edwards’ eclectic label, L.A. Club Resource; it will be distributed through the label’s online store, Gene’s Liquor, where Delroy’s latest EP is up for sale alongside a rare DJ Screw VHS tape. And now, Lil’ NoiD joins the L.A. Club Resource family as Paranoid Funk’s frantic, anxious raps float like a thick cloud of smoke in the Tennessee night. NoiD’s opus is the unapologetic testimony of devious, misguided youth, a manifestation of his cold upbringing on the streets of North Memphis. “Anything you wanted me to do, I was going to fucking do it,” NoiD says of his youth. Featuring all original production from producer Blackout, Paranoid Funk is the lo-fi schizoid tape 2015 needs.
The album will be available for purchase on wax via Gene’s Liquor later this month and is now available for preorder on iTunes.
