The music of Rory Ferreira has seen quite the 

evolution since his debut mixtape in 2012. Under 

the moniker milo, he’s transitioned from a style of 

hip-hop tinged with nerdiness to now embracing 

art and jazz rap.

His side project Scallops Hotel was created 

to develop his more abstruse side, lyrically and 

in terms of production. He has made the leap 

from independent artist to founder of his own 

record label. Throughout his increasing success, 

he’s never sold out. In truth, it doesn’t even seem 

possible for him to sell out, for Rory has so firmly 

ingrained himself in his own niche. It hasn’t failed 

him yet. Recently, he’s given up the milo name 

and replaced it with R.A.P. Ferreira (literally 

Rory Allen Phillip Ferreira). Now he’s released his 

second album under this name, Purple Moonlight 

Pages, which only further solidifies his presence 

in the underground rap scene.

The album is profoundly mature, even for 

Rory’s standards. At his most nerdy, he always 

used immaturity as a tool. Now, his insertion 

of obscure references doesn’t oversaturate the 

project. The last few albums have seen him 

approach rap from a more philosophical and 

poetic angle, but Pages feels different. Whereas 

before, it seemed as though Ferreira was forcing 

himself to come to profound conclusions, this 

album lets the epiphanies arise through his 

experiences. This is apparent in how the songs 

are structured in relation to each other. The 

album doesn’t have any real overlying narrative 

to it. Each song is its own collection of ideas that 

comes and goes for the next collection of ideas to 

appear.

But make no mistake: The album is very 

cohesive. It’s akin to that one junk drawer we all 

have in the kitchen, where all the items have their 

own story, and the drawer itself is representative 

of these stories. A prime example of this is the 

track “LAUNDRY,” whose entire runtime is 

devoted to the process of doing laundry. As a 

result, he expresses his life at home. We get an 

understanding of the relationship he has with 

his family and how it affects his outlook. The 

song has a domestic charm. It stands alone, but 

it makes hearing the next story all the more 

enjoyable.

The cohesion of Purple Moonlight Pages is also 

largely thanks to the production of the Jefferson 

Park Boys, whose members include Carmack, 

Mike Parvizi and Kenny Segal. Their brilliant 

mix of esoteric and organic beats functions 

perfectly alongside Ferreira’s poetry. Often, it 

feels like being inside a hazy jazz club. There’s 

a diverse set of sounds being explored on the 

project: A song like “DUST UP” that could easily 

be an ambient track without the presence of Rory 

is paired close to the latin guitar-flavored beats on 

“ABSOLUTES.” Then there’s “U.D.I.G (UNITED 

DEFENDS 
OF 
INTERNATIONAL 
GOOD 

WILL),” a banger that has a Laurel Canyon sound 

but with twice as much acid involved. Nothing 

is off the table for them, which lends a sense of 

momentum.

If there is one thing Rory seems to be promoting 

on Purple Moonlight Pages, it’s his idea of what 

art should be. No better is this expressed than 

on the track “CYCLES,” where he talks about 

the difference between the underground and 

the mainstream, highlighting their respective 

priorities and how, at times, it feels like an uphill 

battle financially and in gaining the same amount 

of respect. With any other artist this would come 

across as bitter, but with Rory it’s sincere, as he 

says: “Swear I just know my worth, swear I just 

know my worth.” If anything, Rory seems happy 

with where he’s at. Sure, being underground 

versus mainstream means he has to fight a 

little more to keep going, but he’s also working 

to understand himself and the world more. 

The image of the struggling artist has become 

sensationalized at this point. Rory even admits 

to being a part of this trend. As he’s matured, he’s 

come to understand that struggling for the sake of 

struggling doesn’t produce better art. To him, art 

is about gaining knowledge. “No starvin’ artists, 

just artists starvin’ to know.”

Wednesday, April 8, 2020 — 6A
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

ALPHA PUP RECORDS, BMI & ASCAP

DREW GADBOIS

Daily Arts Writer

R.A.P. Ferreira returns: this time more mature, meditative

ALBUM REVIEW

Some Internet users claim “The Simpsons” 

predicted the coronavirus pandemic in two 

episodes: a 1993 episode titled “Marge in Chains” 

and a 1999 episode titled “Wild Barts Can’t Be 

Broken.” 

In “Marge in Chains,” a disease called the 

Osaka 
Flu, 
featuring 
two 
stereotypically-

portrayed and sick Japanese workers, creates a 

chaotic domino-effect scenario that affects the 

Simpson household and Springfield at large. In 

“Wild Barts Can’t Be Broken,” Homer’s acts of 

vandalism cause Police Chief Wiggum to institute 

a nightly curfew for anyone under the age of 

seventy. 

In response to these 

claims, Bill Oakley, one of 

the writers of “Marge in 

Chains,” spoke out against 

the 
misappropriation 

of these episodes, citing 

that these episodes were 

meant to be innocuous 

and those utilizing the 

episodes 
for 
nefarious 

purposes are “gross.”

Perhaps 
the 
more 

important 
foretelling 

taking place in these 

episodes, however, is the 

ongoing 
normalization 

of racism that is targeted 

towards 
Asians 
and 

Asian Americans. This 

normalization, in turn, 

skews overarching public 

perceptions towards Asian immigrants and Asian 

Americans.

It’s hard to denigrate “Marge in Chains” when 

you compare the episode to other contemporary, 

more visible instances of racism against PoC 

communities. “All American Girl,” which aired in 

1994, was guilty of demanding Korean-American 

actress Margaret Cho to “act more Asian,” while 

also hiring an “expert” to help her act in that 

caricature. As early as 1986, when “The Simpsons” 

was still a short on “The Tracey Ullman Show,” 

the show introduced Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, 

a caricature based on another racist caricature 

portrayed by Peter Sellers in the ’60s and 

one of the only few South Asian character 

representations in its time period. As recently 

as 2016, Chris Rock hired East Asian children 

to 
portray 
prevalent 
East-Asian-American 

stereotypes for the Academy Awards. The gag of 

sick Japanese workers in “Marge in Chains” may 

seem innocent in comparison, though the comedic 

portrayal of East Asian workers as hardworking 

but unhygienic individuals provides a context 

of othering for 

those living in 

a 
Westernized 

society such as 

the United States. 

Through 
the 

span of multiple 

generations, 

comedic 

television 

portrays 
non-

white characters 

and actors, and 

people of color 

by extension, as 

different 
from 

their 
white 

counterparts 
— 

they, 
including 

those of Asian 

descent, 
are 

considered 
the 

other and the foreign even if these portrayals and 

stereotypes may seem benign.

But suppose you take the intentions of these 

problematic portrayals, including those in 

“Marge in Chains,” as innocuous. “The Osaka 

Flu,” inspired by the Hong Kong Flu of 1968, 

was portrayed outlandishly by the writers as 

an attempt to create an innocuous comedic plot 

device. The fact remains that there are current 

coronavirus conspiracy theories that originated 

from a supposed innocent joke about sick East 

Asians and an East Asian disease. In other words, 

there 
are 
those 

within 
anglophone 

countries who are 

eager to create racist 

fear-mongering in the 

midst of a pandemic 

by 
appropriating 

seemingly 
innocent 

comedic 
content. 

This 
content 
goes 

viral and is widely 

shared 
on 
social 

media 
platforms. 

Xenophobic content 

is being consumed 

by many others as 

a 
result, 
whether 

voluntarily or involuntarily.

East and Southeast Asian Americans have 

long experienced verbal and physical assaults as 

a result of xenophobia, a trend that has only been 

exacerbated through the coronavirus pandemic. 

Such racist attacks and xenophobic actions by 

both the public and the government are not new 

either: The 2009 swine flu outbreak saw a spike 

in discrimination towards Latinx Americans, 

the 2003 SARS outbreak unleashed a wave of 

bigotry towards Asian 

Americans and the 

1892 typhus outbreak 

and cholera epidemics 

saw a governmental 

quarantine 
and 

public 
prejudice 

directed 
towards 

Eastern 
European 

Jewish 
immigrants. 

Outbreaks 
of 

disease 
within 

the 
United 
States 

have 
historically 

seen the American 

public attempt to tie 

disease 
outbreaks 

and pandemics to often marginalized groups in 

society.

“The Simpsons,” more than it predicts 

the future, suggests the long history of racist 

narratives, both on and off the screen. 

TV NOTEBOOK
The troubling prediction ‘The Simpsons’ did seem to make

BRENDON CHO
Daily Arts Writer

Perhaps the more 

important foretelling 
taking place in these 

episodes, however, is the 
ongoing normalization 
of racism that is targeted 
toward Asians and Asian 

Americans.

PXFUEL

Purple Moonlight 

Pages 

R.A.P. Ferreira

Ruby Yacht

But suppose you take 
the intentions of these 
problematic portrayals, 

including those in “Marge 
in Chains,” as innocuous.

