Queens rapper SHIRT is excited to share a behind the scenes look into the making of his album Pure Beauty. Weaving in and out of fan favorite single “Climate Change,” this mini documentary unveils SHIRT’s first visit to Third Man Pressing in Detroit, as the team there put together the vinyl packaging of his label debut album. The limited edition collectible vinyl package features cover art by famed artist John Baldersari, a detachable usb with 1,000 images taken around the world by Shirt, other bonus content and a Baldessari-inspired tee and is available today at thirdmanstore.com/bands/shirt.
SHIRT explains, “I made my way through Cass Corridor for the first time and watched a 10+ person team at Third Man assemble my album packaging. The legend John Baldessari let me use two of his most known works and present them untouched, 50 years since the original Pure Beauty (1968). I made a dirty rap album as an ode meant to inspire freedom and unfiltered expression – shit so ugly it turned beautiful. Now we’re finally shipping this physical work worldwide.”
PURE BEAUTY fully affirms SHIRT as one of the most exciting and creative artists of the modern hip-hop era, equally adept as a conceptual artist, painter, writer, and producer of innovative rap music. Executive Produced by SHIRT, tracks like “Zebra,” “Palace Intrigue” and “Climate Change” see the Queens-based artist collaborating with an array of forward-thinking producers, among them Steel Tipped Dove, Zois, Joe Hov, Wonder Breed, and San Holo. PURE BEAUTY was written and performed entirely by SHIRT, bar the opening verse on “Snowbeach,” written and performed by Shirt’s barber Chase, as well as the closing track, “Mise En Abyme,” performed as a conversation between Shirt and the artist Marie Matusz. The album was recorded and mixed in Basel, Switzerland, where SHIRT is currently completing a Master’s in Fine Arts degree – having been accepted based entirely on his impressive portfolio of multi-platform visual art and music.
Digitally released on February 9th, PURE BEAUTY marks the first full length rap album from Third Man Records – the independent, genre-free label out of Nashville, TN owned by Jack White – as well as SHIRT’s first full-length record since 2015’s breakthrough street albums RAP MONEY, NIKE ADIDAS RECORDS, and MUSEUM.