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Mumford & Sons strummed and harmonized their way to a Grammy for Album of the Year, but now they're ready to ditch the folksy acoustics for rap. Everyone on the Internet is already stopping their ears. Rolling Stone's Patrick Doyle recently caught up with Marcus Mumford and those three other scruffy dudes as they start to rehearse material for their third album. Judging from their chat, the band's big win at this year's Grammys coupled with their five-week run at the top of the Billboard albums charts has emboldened them to get a bit experimental. When Doyle asks what direction they're moving in for the follow-up to 2012's runaway success Babel, Mumford says:
Like, hip-hop. We really want to rap. We've just got so much to say — saying it through a melody doesn't really work for me. We've been talking with Jay-Z about it, you know. It's gonna be a fresh experience for our band.
They're currently hatching this new sound during downtime on their tour, and Mumford describes their backstage sessions as pretty edgy. "We're like, 'Motherfucker!'" he says. That's right. The Mumford men — they of the frantically plucked banjo, the elite London private school background, the artfully distressed chambray button-up — are trying to curse like Jay-Z on their next album. You're not the only one who thinks that sounds like the worst music anyone could ever make:
:(((((( "Marcus Mumford told Rolling Stone of the band’s desire to rap, seeking out veteran rapper Jay-Z for input." pastemagazine.com/articles/2013/…
— Cord Jefferson (@cordjefferson) February 25, 2013
This can't possibly be a real article. Marcus Mumford: 'We Really Want to Rap' rol.st/VViV0c via @rollingstone
— Kurt Trowbridge (@KurtTrowbridge) February 25, 2013
Just let this sink in. Absorb the hate and embarrassment. rollingstone.com/music/news/mar…
— hannah chipperfield (@hanchipperfield) February 25, 2013
Mumford and sons wanting to rap is why i hate thrift shop
— Ned (@beatsbyned) February 25, 2013
Just read interview w/Mumford & Sons saying they want to rap. I'm about ready for them to return to their homeland. For good.
— Brandi (@msraisingirl) February 25, 2013
We have napalm. RT @grahamdavida Marcus Mumford: "We really want to rap." pastemagazine.com/articles/2013/…
— Richard M. Nixon (@dick_nixon) February 25, 2013
This is basically the horsemeat-in-Ikea-meatballs of music. p-bu.mp/pj6 via @cordjefferson
— Philip Bump (@pbump) February 25, 2013
Oh good christ, apocalypse now. RT @pastemagazine: Mumford & Sons' Marcus Mumford says he wants to give hip-hop a try bit.ly/Yv0Sw6
— Ned Raggett (@NedRaggett) February 25, 2013
It's quite possible that Wiz Khalifa is the only person down with MC Marcus Mumford.
This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.