Everyone loves to say they were “first.” The Olympic 100-meter dash, your family bingo game, becoming the heavyweight champion (like Mike Tyson), or being the first to introduce your homies to their next favorite artist. Punching Bag is an artist that you need to be first on.

I came across Punching Bag a couple of weeks before they released their new EP and were sitting at 50 monthly listeners and just over 100 Instagram followers via their debut single “Group 1987”. I was immediately drawn into their world as a core fan and was mesmerized by their consistent boxing-related visual themes, which helped emphasize the true vision of their identity, on the road to building a whole world. It all fits together perfectly with their aggressive punk rock hip hop sound similar to artists in the vein of a Paris Texas or JPEGMAFIA. The Punching Bag duo consists of two immensely talented artists Jahsy & Askari from Pomona, California.

The duo dropped their concise 6-song no skips EP GYM RAT on 7/24 via Empire, and every song has different elements that make it special. The EP is filled to the brim with their own outstanding self production, which clearly stands out with noisy electric guitar riffs and speaker-blasting bass moments. You can feel their energy and passion in every single track, and in an age where singles are prioritized so heavily, it is refreshing to listen to such a well made and cohesive project. The group even put together a packed-out album release show that consisted of mosh pits and love for their movement.

The message behind their name – "PUNCHING BAG," is a metaphor for the misconceptions, micro-aggressions, and indefinite scrutiny (or punches) that black youth have to stomach for simply existing. Yet somehow, they still find a way to stand.

Punching Bag is rapidly building on their momentum and I can’t wait to follow along with the world they're building in their discography.

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