Sas Plus/Sas Pussy (stylised as SAS PLUS / SAS PUSSY) is the second extended play (EP) by the Norwegian hip hop duo Karpe, composed of rappers Magdi Omar Ytreeide Abdelmaguid and Chirag Rashmikant Patel. It was released on February 22, 2019, through Apen og Kjeften and distributed by Sony Music. The EP follows the duo's fifth studio album Heisann Montebello (2016), and the collaborative EP Mars (2018) with Unge Ferrari and Arif. It features guest vocals from Isah and Emilie Nicolas. Production was handled by Aksel "Axxe" Carlson and Thomas Kongshavn.
Sas Plus/Sas Pussy is a single track with a length of 29 minutes and 47 seconds. Chirag explained the untraditional format as "rap theatre". The idea of making the release one continuous track emerged during the recording process, as they felt that the transitions were related to the lyrics of the next song and theme of the album. The EP is one of the duo's most critically acclaimed release, with a number of music critics pointing out the good production and eccentric lyrics.
Commercially, Sas Plus/Sas Pussy peaked at number three on the VG-lista albums chart in 2019. In 2020 they won a Spellemann in the category Spellemannprisen for Album of the Year, and the EP was nominated in the urban category. Chirag and Magdi were also nominated for the Spellemannprisen for Songwriter of the Year based on their work the record.
Background
The EP was released on February 22, 2019, through Apen og Kjeften and distributed by Sony Music. The release differs from albums that were released earlier by Karpe, as this is one continuous track in 29 minutes and 47 second. Initially, it was not the plan to make their next release one long track. They got the idea halfway through the process when Chirag and Magdi realised that the transitions were related to the lyrics of the next song and the overall theme of the album.
Sas Plus/Sas Pussy differs from the duo's previous projects. The duo used depictions to a further extent in Arabic, Hindi, Gujarati and English mixed with Norwegian to explain their feelings. Chirag and Magdi present a personal side on the EP; contrasting with Heisann Montebellos strong political messages, Sas Plus/Sas Pussy focuses on relationships, love and life.
The EP's title, Sas Plus/Sas Pussy, is a metaphor for striving new comfort in life and uses "SAS Plus" as a dumb expression of the mediocre peak of success achieved as a celebrity in Norway. Chirag describes the metaphor further, stating: "It's not about flying business on Emirates, but maybe a little more about legroom and free coffee".
In addition to the length and theme, there is also another essential thing that makes Sas Plus/Sas Pussy different from Karpe's previous releases. The duo has replaced parts of the production site for the first time in a decade, and it was Aksel "Axxe" Carlson and Thomas Kongshavn who have produced the EP. Also, the Norwegian R&B artist Isah was also a big part of the release. The young artist from Stavanger has made a name for himself with the hit single "Hallo" together with Dutty Dior in 2019, and has contributed to Sas Plus/Sas Pussy with both melody lines, vocals, and chorus.
Karpe accuses their old record label Cosmos Music of making incorrect payouts, on the track "§ 393". The name of the track is in reference to a Norwegian law, straffeloven § 393, which regulates "Rough accounting transgression". The record label itself believes the dispute is about producer rights.
Recording
Recording for Sas Plus/Sas Pussy took place between 2018 and 2019, mostly on different hotel rooms in Europe. The work on the EP was not known by the public before Karpe started to post mysterious photos and videos on Instagram. The duo also recorded in different studios around the world, including Basecamp Studios in Stockholm, Ocean Sound Recordings in Ålesund, and SPACE in Austin, Texas. The production was handled by Aksel "Axxe" Carlson and Thomas Kongshavn. The former worked with the contemporary soundscape, while Kongshavn worked with the short documentary theatre that is between the music.