

If Riff Raff didn't exist, pop culture would have to invent him. Gleefully tipping hip-hop's sacred cows, he's as much a meme as a musician and equally talented at being both. On his official debut, Neon Icon, he pours salt on everyone's game (even his own), chopping up styles like an Iron Chef. "Introducing the Icon" sounds like Run-DMC, while "Kokayne" is built around an electric guitar riff and a punk beat. There's slinking trap throughout, but "Time" is a curiously fluid slow jam. Much of the record scans as an inside joke: What's an "Aquaberry Dolphin"? Or a "Versace Python"? Through it all, Riff dares you to take him seriously: "When I wake up, it's a mystery/Every time I open my mouth? History."