Album Feature: Glitch Hop Crew Reclaims Their Roots on "High Point"
High Point, North Carolina is famously known as the "World’s Furniture Capital." But if you look past the grand, sprawling showrooms and deep into the industrial fabric warehouses, you'll find a completely different kind of rhythm being built. It’s a sonic architecture constructed from hyper-kinetic beats, deep-funk baselines, and a chaotic history of street hustle.
That rhythm belongs to Glitch Hop Crew, the dynamic duo of Tony D and Raymond X. And they have just dropped their highly anticipated new album, High Point—a record that serves as both a masterclass in sonic contrast and a love letter to the geography that shaped them.
From the Scrapyards to the Bunkhouse
To understand the energy of High Point, you have to understand where Tony D and Raymond X came from. Long before they were legitimate culinary business owners and local legends, they were rivals on the underground "Furniture City" circuit.
Tony D (who originally came up as Nitty Gritty) was fronting The Staple Gun Syndicate, a group infamous for spitting hyper-fast bars over the industrial, rhythmic sounds of pneumatic tools. Raymond X (then known as Deep End Ray) was anchoring Veneer & Vice, laying down heavy, slowed-down, deep-funk grooves.
The two ultimately bonded under the most unlikely of circumstances: inside a juvenile detention center. After a botched teenage "joyride" scheme involving a fleet of vintage Mustangs from a local showroom owner’s lot, the two found themselves sharing a bunkhouse. Instead of wasting time, they spent their nights building a whole new musical vocabulary. Tony would tap out rapid-fire, double-time beats on the metal bedframes while Raymond hummed sub-bass frequencies that made the concrete floors vibrate.
It was there that the signature Glitch Hop Crew blueprint was born: the frantic, high-register anxiety of Tony's vocal "skat-rap" perfectly meeting the calm, stoic, soul-shaking baritone of Raymond’s melodic hooks.
Tacos, Community, and Ten-Pound Bass
Today, the duo has traded the car-boosting sirens for the heat of the flat-top grill. They run "The Skat-O-Taco," a vibrant local stand tucked between a repurposed hosiery mill and a high-end upholstery boutique in High Point. By day, Raymond is the methodical "Salsa Sommelier" and Tony is the frantic, performance-art face of the operation.
But by night, the stand transforms into the High Point Heat Exchange, where they pull out a makeshift stage, battle-rap anyone brave enough to step to them, and keep the community alive.
That duality is exactly what breathes life into their new album. While High Point doesn't shy away from the chaotic past, the hip-hop elite hypocrisy, and the raw edges of their youth, it highlights a crew that has straightened out without ever losing their edge. The "glitch" is still very much in their system.
Stream "High Point" Now
If you want to experience the true sound of North Carolina’s underground hip-hop renaissance, High Point is officially live across all major streaming platforms. Crank the volume, let the sub-bass shake the floorboards, and check out the links below to listen.
(For more lore, videos, and history on the duo, make sure to check out their official hub over at saints in unison.)
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