The E&Daniels collective have been making rather a lot of noise in the UK scene over the past year or so, with a seemingly scene encompassing list of members and their well received ‘Bar Crawl’ EP creating a big buzz around the crew (although they would prefer to be called a ‘Mixture’).
The latest member to drop something is Flabz, who has teamed up with Under The Bed Productions to bring you ‘Under the Influence’, a 7 track EP. This is Flabz’s first official release, and is something of a surprise (a nice one however!).
With a number of battle rappers in the crew, and given the rowdy nature of the ‘Bar Crawl’ EP, I was expecting more braggadocio and witty put downs, but instead found a very reflective, honest and at times melancholy offering.
Throughout the EP Flabz is nothing but brutally honest about his own shortcomings and problems in life, most of which a lot of listeners will be able to relate to. The best examples of this for me are ‘Rush’, which finds Flabz talking about the addictive nature of lust and love, and the ups and downs that come with every relationship, with a beautifully sung chorus from the EP’s only guest, Jodie Lois, and ‘Lifes Addiciton’ on which the rapper cleverly weaves a parallel story of 2 types of addiction.
Another example of the rappers clever wordplay and ability to add extra dimensions to tracks is ‘Super Drunk (Marvel VS DC) where Flabz paints himself as a rather Hancock like superhero with a drink problem, while cleverly filling the track with references that any super hero fan worth their salt will recognize. Far from bragging and boasting, the EP is filled with honesty and self deprecation which instantly makes Flabz a likeable character.
Add to this the melodic, guitar influenced production and you get an EP that is a perfect introduction to an artist we will surely be hearing much more of!
Words; Chris
Flabz – ‘Under The Influence EP’ is available to stream and download here
Previously released videos…..
Flabz – Only Call Me When You’re High (Net Video)
Flabz – Lies (Net Video)
Flabz – (Less Talk More Action) Freestyle
Connect with Flabz
hiphoplifeandtimes 