Shirt ‎– Pure Beauty - New Vinyl Lp 2018 Third Man Records Pressing - Rap / Hip Hop

Street Date: 4/6/18

Third Man Records has been searching for a hip-hop artist whose multidisciplinary vision, immovable work ethic and natural sense of aesthetic are compatible our label’s mission. The label is proud to release Pure Beauty by mysterious Queens, New York visual artist, designer and rapper SHIRT.

SHIRT has been heavily invested in the legendary NY rap underground and praised by various online tastemakers and critics for his vital perspective, refreshing production choices and thoughtful lyricism. Everything about his creative output is “classic New York shit...melding high art with lowbrow aspiration; it’s champagne and loosies, bottle service and Metrocards” (Pitchfork). Pure Beauty will be SHIRT’s rst full-length album since the release of Rap Money EP on Closed Sessions/Nike Adidas Records in 2015.

Pure Beauty is an ode to the work of artist John Baldessari and features his 1968 conceptual art piece of the same name as the album artwork, courtesy of Baldessari and his team. The album’s central theme focuses on beauty in its simplest and rawest form—selected beats are recorded and re-recorded, stripped down and left blaring. Verses exist as rst and only takes. iPhone voice memos are dispersed throughout studio recordings; live conversations left unedited.

Pure Beauty was meant to drop as a self-released digital album in November 2017, until Third Man Records entered the picture. In the 25th hour via Instagram DMs, SHIRT responded to our DM slide and allowed us to listen to the record early.

With no physical version planned, Third Man offered to sign SHIRT, release Pure Beauty digitally, and press this tour de force on vinyl at our pressing plant in Detroit. The lead single for Pure Beauty, titled “Flight Home” is now available alongside its music video.

Tracklist