Straight from the Emerald Isle ,by way of Boston, US, based label CommonWealth Records, comes the debut album from Bobby Bars aka Rob Kelly.
A name that I have come across via various guest appearances with an impressive number of the UK’s heavy hitters, Kelly has recently joined the afore mentioned CommonWealth Records to release this collection of rugged tracks.
The content throughout the album is gritty and rowdy and the production (provided by Mike Donnelly, Anarkist, Scooby, Mathman, Jee4ce and Tony Mahoney ) consistently banging, and the overall vibe brings to mind the braggadocio of the mid 90’s, whilst still maintaing a strong grounding in Kelly’s life and surroundings.
Production throughout the album is consistent and all tracks seem to have been carefully assembled to match the beats with the content of the lyrics, not something that is always evident in some releases.
Another constant throughout the album is the quality of the guest verses (provided by Geddes, Da Villins, Robyn Kavanagh, illderberg (Terawrizt, Redzer, Jonnie Darko) .
Personal standouts include the first single ‘What I need’ with its rapid fire lyrics and heavy metal guitars, courtesy of Mike Donnelly, along with a strong hook from Robyn Kavanagh ,and the rowdy neck snapper ‘More Fire’.
For fans of crispy, banging and well crafted beats, rowdy hooks, versatile flows and a cheeky dose of humour this is something you need in your collection.
Greetings again one and all, tis I Singerdread with another review. This time around it is Verb T’s newest offering, ‘Medicated Dreams’ EP.
I find it unlikely that anyone reading this doesn’t know who Verb T is, but if you don’t, I’ll just say he is a guy who has been in the game for a while and done more than paid his dues. This is why I think he has the position he has at the moment, as a kinda OG of high focus records (I’m sure Verbs won’t mind me referring to him as an OG! haha).
This EP is now the second release from Verbs that is completely produced by the man himself, and as anyone who has the previous Verb T produced album, ‘I Remain’, will tell you….he ain’t too shabby son!! Many rappers try at producing, some do Ok, aaaaaaand some do not. Verbs falls into another category of rappers who produce……he fucking smashes it!!
I dont think that myself and fellow HHLAT writer Adam will ever forget when we saw Verb T perform the title track from ‘I remain’ at Boom Bap festival last year and the crowd reaction when that beat switches!!! Jheeeez!! Haha anyways, moving on……
I really like Verbs style of production, as at times its hard to hear what he’s played and what is the sample….which is awesome!! and also a real testament to his skills as a producer. His beats remind me a lot of Madlibs beats (I’m sure Verbs won’t mind this comparison either), as he creates tracks that have their own type of vibe to them and sometimes may not strictly sound like ya average hip hop beat. That theme or style of beats match perfectly with the subject matter of the EP. ‘Medicated Dreams’ is a trippy and laid back 9 tracks in which Verb T tells tales of pain, insomnia, and basically insanity!! Don’t let the laid back sound fool you though, as Verbs is as complex as he can be with his rhymes and patterns, making the replay factor of this EP very strong.
I really think this EP is brilliant, and I couldn’t stop listening to it, as was the same with Verb T’s last album, ‘I Remain’. My final thought on this EP is one that I don’t want people to get misconstrued. The point I wanted to make was that I think Verbs age and music now is at a maturity level which gives him the freedom to do some things others may not be able to do with his sound and subjects. It is for this reason that I think the older hip hop head may well appreciate this EP more than a younger buck…BUT, as I said, I don’t want people to get this twisted, as I’m sure younger listeners too will appreciate what Verbs has done here.
There is only one verdict I could have come to when reviewing this EP……Go and buy it now!!…..its awesome and its out now!!!
Thank you for your time in reading this and thanks to HHLAT for the chance to do this again. that’s me, Singerdread, signing out. Peace Love Unity to all.
Verb T had this message “This is a good prelude to my new EP I guess. This video was filmed in December 2011 at St. Thomas’s hospital. I had been struggling for years with Crohn’s disease and all the different medication I had to take was affecting me badly as well. In that hospital bed I finished off writing the Morning Process album. I was there over Christmas when I should have been with my kids. My hair looked fucking sick really but I was at the lowest point I ever have been physically. When I came out I was on a huge dose of steroids which made me feel better at first only to feel a lot worse. This is around the time when the four owls album was new and we were doing shows all over. I would be sitting backstage looking half dead and have to jump up and go mental on stage. The traveling and not sleeping were hard, it had to be a case of mind over matter to get through it sometimes. I heard an endless list of “you look tired man” “you look well sad mate” “are you wasted?” “did some one shit in your ruck sack?” (ok not the last one). in the past few months I’ve tried other more natural remedies and tried taking better care of myself generally and it’s helped but it’s still a struggle sometimes. So my new EP is a wacked out journey through my experiences under the influence of different types of medication with side helpings of weird dreams, some depression and some optimism, it’s out on now, that’s good isn’t it? yes.”
Thanks to our homeboy SingerDread from the super world famous ThinkTank for this rad review of Crack Jon.
Cracker Jon and 2Late – Can Take The Cracker Out Of Croydon
Greetings all, I’m SingerDread, a new name here at HHLAT. I’m a rapper, producer, writer and lover of all things Hip Hop (and the other half of ThinkTank mate, gosh you just don’t know how to promote do you? – Aimee). So when I was given the oppotunity to write a review for the amazing guys and gal at HHLAT, I obviously bit their hand off at the chance. My first assignment: a High Focus release, Cracker Jon and 2Late – Can Take The Cracker Out Of Croydon.
After smashing the festival circuit and live shows touring with Verb T and Fliptrix, This is the debut album from Cracker Jon aNd 2Late. The album is Cracker Jon rapping you his story of life in Croydon set to the beautifully crafted soundtrack produced by 2Late. Cracker’s old-school rhyming style suits perfectly with 2Late’s style of production. A match made in…..Croydon? maybe, but definitely sometime back in the early 90s! This album is for the more dedicated Hip Hop listener but I’m sure I can safely assume that if you are a regular reader of HHLAT, you are exactly that. The skits on this album are perfect, and create the imagery and humour that are all over this album. Production value overall I give it 10/10 or 5 mics or discs or…..anyway it’s just very good. Another great thing about this album is the features. Everyone who features fully goes in, so I’ll list them all so as not to leave anyone out, and what a list…..
Sly Moon, Dubbul O, Smellington Piff, Eric Da Red, Dirty Dike, Lee Scott, Fliptrix, Leaf Dogg, Datkid and Strange Neighbour. All the cuts were by DJ Sammy B-side apart from one track featuring DJ Almighty.
My first review is nearly over and what more can I really say?
Great rapping, awesome production, a decent amount of decent features, and all topped off with some nice artwork. Produced by the fantastic 2Late.
So what are you waiting for?
Cracker Jon and 2Late – Can Take The Cracker Out Of Croydon
There are very few things that are more talked about in Hip Hop than what Hip Hop ‘is’. Everyone has their ideals and opinions on the matter, old and young and all in between all have differing things to say about it. Cue Jam Baxter and Jon Phonics to completely push all the boundaries with this release, Fresh Flesh. A phenomenally unique piece of work that is certain to be incomparable to basically everything else this year/most years.
Jam Baxter is someone who shatters the walls of anyone’s expectations of a rapper and in doing so has become that rarest of things – someone who very almost quite nearly everyone rates highly. Hip Hop is such a competitive scene it’s not often people agree on someone so widely. ‘Fresh Flesh’ continues to cement his ability to turn a phrase in such a way you have to check it back a few times to truly get it, and his seemingly inability to speak in normal sentences. Hahaha I jest, but it needs stressing that the way he words things is like a computerised thesaurus of slang and scrabble demolishing words. It’s really, really hard to try and tell you about the subject matter of this EP because of his fondness for mind bending imagery, but I’d say it’s like a melancholic psychedelic monologue on humanity. If you’ve heard him before you should understand that. Plus for me to go into interpretations of these tracks lyrically would be quite the task and it’s better you listen with your own ears to this mad genius.
Baxter never seems to go for the obvious beats, and with Jon Phonics production on this you can see why. Phonics comes with his electronica style production, but with Hip Hop veins running through it, creating an ethereal and airy landscape that goes from minimalist to head noddingly neck wrecking in the same track. His contribution to ‘Fresh Flesh’ is far more important than many producers who just do the same thing over and over. His part in this is perfectly realised and it’s clear to see why people have been salivating for more from these two since Baxters appearance on Phonics ‘Half Past Calm 2’ back in 2010.
Listening to ‘Fresh Flesh’ is so easy due to the calm nature of it, from start to finish its a complete work of art. I don’t know what they do in schools these days but if they aren’t teaching Jam Baxter in English lit and Jon Phonics in music class then they’re missing a trick. The fact that this was written, recorded and mastered in roughly a month shows the level of talent herein. This is bound to become a lot of people’s favourite release this year and sure to become the soundtrack of many a late night/early morning blazing chillout. Reviewing this has been one of the greatest pleasures it’s been of mine to do so. Plus given it’s my first review of something Jammy B put out you’re lucky this didn’t descend into an essay on why I think he’s one of the best haha. Get this is you like something different and you really appreciate writing and production. High Focus again with a big big release.
Nowadays there are so many rappers in the UK, and it’s both a good and bad thing. You’re probably no further that 30 feet from a rapper at any given time in the UK in 2014. One of the biggest problem with this fact is that it creates a lot of fake personalities as people try to emulate others. That’s why someone like Twizzy is so needed. Never ever afraid to be himself he’s just put out another brilliant release, namely ‘Way Beyond The Bullshit’ and it needs your attention. A sort of continuation from his previous effort ‘A Big Bag Of Bullshit’ but a progression in itself.
These 6 tracks contain more individuality than 60 tracks of your mates, mates brother who spits exactly like someone else. Twizzy is clearly a man who writes in his head constantly in his life, making mental notes of the things that are happening around him . ‘Way Beyond The Bullshit’ finds him irked with many things about life and hip hop (actually they’re the same thing innit) and unafraid to tell you exactly what it is that he thinks about these things. His music is how he gets his internal external and how he deals with the bullshit, and I think it’s how he makes it make sense to himself. But listen, he’s also one of the most entertaining rappers to listen to at the moment for many reasons, all of which are again present on this EP. Interesting flows and creativity in his lyrics, mixed with brash attitude and confidence will ensnare your attention and have you actually listening to what dude has to say. With a plethora of releases already under his belt there surely is no doubt of why he’s built a fan base including people the world over.
Cementing Way Beyond is Hutch Beats on the . . .errr. . . beats (look ok I’m sorry I can never be Aimee Lee funny). He’s someone you need to know about because the instrumentals he’s displayed here are as heavy as Twizzys rapping. With catchy samples and a sort of rolling style that fits the flows it’s hard to imagine to many others doing these excellent beats justice in the same way. Simple styled music with its own character, aka music without the bullshit. A very, very good pairing of producer and artist.
Backing up Twizzy with killer features are his Three Headed Beast Cohorts M.A.B and Jinxsta JX. Fucking obviously they kill it on this, always demonstrating why it is they rap together and why it is people pay attention.
Twizzy has given us another one for the collection and he’s done it in his own way, which you can probably tell is something I think is important. Check out his back catalogue on the bandcamp link below and brace yourself for his next release, a full solo album entirely produced by Farma G called ‘Famfoods’. It is sure to be something special.
So, how to go about describing this frankly monstrous release from one of the most buzz worthy groups to emerge in recent years, Problem Child.
Words such as ‘Hype’, ‘Rowdy’ and ‘Original’ hardly do justice to the groups début, ‘Confessions Of A Normal Human Being’ , a 16 track monster of pounding digital production (Courtesy of Sumgii) and razor sharp, witty and sometimes absurd rhymes (Courtesy of LDZ veterans Dubbledge and Dabbla, and resident Tomb Crew MC Illaman).
This is one of the most original albums in a long time, and takes a completely fresh approach.
Not since Fallacy’s ‘Black Market Boy’ has the melting pot of UK MC led music been so masterfully represented. Grime, Dubstep, Garage, Reggae and Jungle, as well as Hip Hop and Rap, influences can be found throughout the project both in the bass heavy production and the rapid fire flows and slang that are heavily present in all three MC’s bars.
First and foremost this is music to party to, tracks like ‘Sheep’ and ‘Fully Fledged’ will destroy any rave or festival stage with ease, and the trio of rappers often reference their party life style and catalogue their misadventures with booze and substances (most notably on ‘Woddle’, an ode to intoxication ). However, this is not the same as saying that they are glorifying or promoting this lifestyle, they are simply telling the listener that this is how they live their lives.
The album has a distinctly UK feel about it, and the album is full of references to the absurdities of living here, most strongly on the title track ‘Confessions of a Normal Human Being’, and the CD only bonus track ‘Your Estates Dead’.
As a fan of Grime this album is something special in as much that the crew combine the raw energy and aggression of Grime with the razor sharp wit and on point lyricism often lacking from the genre. There is no talk of killing (unless its killing a beat), instead you are more likely to hear tales of drunken antics, dis illusion with our society, or straight up heavy word play and flows.
The living room destruction on the cover sums up rather nicely how you are likely to react to this release, and i for one am very interested to see what is to come next from this dynamic and highly original crew.
Words; Chris
Stream and Download ‘Confessions of a normal human being’ here
At first glance it may have come off as something a little out of the blue from the High Focus camp when Rag N Bone Man was enlisted to join their ranks. I’m sure large swathes of people have come to expect a certain sound when it comes to HF, and at least think they know what they represent and produce when it comes to UKHH. However if you can cast your short term little memory back. To when HF was first establishing itself, and everyone was getting their knickers in a twist because they were fast becoming the label that was releasing music and promoting artists that other companies wouldn’t have even given the time to. They became a household name for a reason, because they weren’t stagnated in a little pool of what people thought UKHH was or should be.
Fast-forward to the present day Rag N Bone Man’s EP ‘Put That Soul On Me’ is released, and hoohoo everyone’s surprised again. A blues artist? That’s not very hip-hop. That’s not what High Focus is all about! Except, yeah it is mate. It’s exactly what High Focus is about. Releasing music you didn’t even think to listen to, and now you’ve got all their records and a big picture of their face on your bedroom wall. That’s how it’s done, and that’s how they’ll continue to do it.
(Besides, if I really have to explain the timeline of hip-hop, and in fact music in relation to the blues then you’re a dummy and I’m afraid this relationship just can’t carry on. Your mate’s fitter anyway).
When first listening to this 3-track release (well 6 with the 3 instrumentals to be precise), it’s obvious why Rag N Bone Man’s picking up so much steam at the moment, especially after his previous joint effort with Leaf Dog. Whether you’re a fan or not there’s no questioning his talent. Dude can sing. Whilst he’s still relatively young, his voice has a lot of age and life to it that is complimented well by Dirty Dike’s production. The slightly off kilter samples and tones worked really nicely with Rags’ vocal range which I really enjoyed. The fluke in the EP’s title track was a nice touch, and does a good job of mirroring the content of the song itself.
Ronnie Bosh’s feature is a welcome bonus to the record instead of outshining his label mate, which a lot of MCs tend to indirectly do when adding their vocals to a singing-based song. It gives the track an interesting angle, and Ronnie Bosh has such a recognisable style that you can’t help but enjoy it.
This is a short but sweet offering from Rag N Bone Man, and I’m sure they’ll be some among us that can’t get their head around HF supporting what is essentially a blues artist, and don’t realise that the two genres can be and are constantly mixed ALL THE TIME. That being said I can only speak for myself here, but if you’re one of those people then you probably don’t know who Kool Herc is anyway, and I don’t want to invite you to any of our BBQs, sorry.
This is fun and catchy as fuck EP that’ll have you doing that skanky shaky foot shuffle you do when you’re not sure how you should be dancing. Whether you’re fan of the blues or not, I suggest you give it at least a few listens before you make you’re mind up. Trust me here kiddos.
Now whether or not you think we’re being bias by reviewing our own team’s work then please remember these key points before we get badly written complaints about it (Seriously step up your grammar. This is coming from a person with dyslexia). Regardless of who we’re friends with doesn’t mean a thing; if the material they’re producing is of a high standard and they’re progressing hip-hop in their own part of the world, then obviously we want to promote it. That’s a no-brainer. Actually you know what? This is the very last time I ever write a disclaimer about who we promote, if it really bothers you then go to Worldstarhiphop, you tinker. Are you the co-editor? NO U R NOT JOG ON. Ooh got a bit defensive then eh?
GET ON WITH THE REVIEW.
The varied producers on this record have a lot to do with the reason this is Nephilim’s best work to date. As a group, the guys that he picked to grace the boards never stick to one particular pattern or formula, but it’s pretty obvious to the listener who’s produced which track and their own definitive styles are very prominent. This isn’t a bad thing by any stretch and helps the record not to become stale or slow paced. Each producer puts his own stamp on the individual songs, and whilst it could potentially run the risk of sounding messy or becoming over saturated (too many cooks spoils the broth and all that) it does quite the opposite and I strongly suggest you check them out as well. The full list is Runone, Faulty Clicks, Andrew Luck, GdotAssasin and bandmate SingerDread. Not forgetting of course Rebs who mixed and mastered it.
When it comes to the rapper himself (yes we’re on the third paragraph already what of it?) he’s improved a great deal in the last few years in terms of style and content. When I initially was introduced to Nephilim way before he became the famous Adamtheintern we now know and love (although he isn’t really an intern I just think I’m funny and the rest of HHLAT let me believe it), I enjoyed his work but it needed a lot of spit and polish. Since then every project and demo I’ve heard is a vast improvement on the previous. Regardless of genre or medium when it comes to art, stagnation is your worst enemy. Even if for a time what you create is atrocious, and everyone hates it-at least you’re fucking giving it a go and trying everything to see what fits well with you, and even if that only fits for a short while. This is something I’ll be talking about again when I review Yoshi Riot’s new record ‘The Contrast EP’ later on this week (yes cheap plug).
Nephilim is a lot more focused in both his rhythmic concepts and lyrics, even when he goes off on little tangents he still brings it back and makes it work within the whole song or on a smaller scale, on a particular verse. His politics are very obvious on this as well, but he’s not a studio revolutionary shouting empty phrases. There’s cause and points to what he’s talking about, and as someone that has listened to A LOT of ‘conscience rap’ over the years I can tell very quickly the glaring difference between rappers who’ve read a few blogs, and the ones who’ve actually read a book (with real pages waaa) and worked within their’s or a larger community. Now I’m not saying our man is reinventing the wheel, or single handedly saving the world with this EP I’m simply saying he’s progressive and aware with both his music, and his ideas. This in turn makes the EP a pleasure to listen to. There are still a few cracks and parts that need smoothing over of course, but he’s really begun to make a solid foundation and has clear markers within each release now that are wholly his own. It’s a very UKHH record, but that’s not to say he’s stuck to a certain framework or blueprint. It’s just ashamedly local in its sound which I think gives it a lot of charm and will endear most UKHH fans as well those further afield.
Tell us Aimee, is this the best thing to ever to be brought into being? Is it completely without blemish? Did Beyonce write ‘Flawless’ just for Adam? Well no (although maybe to the third one who can say), not exactly but it’s still a great EP so listen to my wise words and get yourselves a copy.
Here’s a little bonus of a recent song Ad recorded for the birth of his lovely baby girl.
When Rich Quick, Archie Bang, J57 and DJ J Hart link up to do a track then surely its gonna be dope right? Correct, this is nothing less than brilliance with a video that captures the real fun vibe of the track. This is something fresh and is already getting championed from heads in the US and all over Europe. Its nice to see some US rappers keeping real Hip-Hop and Boombap alive
Rich Quick ‘Breakfast’ Feat. Archie Bang (Prod. by J57) #Video
Rich Quick ‘Breakfast’ Feat. Archie Bang (Prod. by J57) #Video
About Rich Quick:
In April 2012 Rich Quick released “I’m With The DJ” Hosted by DJ NoPhrillz and Benja Styles. The first 500 physical copies of the mixtape included 1 of 5 limited edition hand drawn Hip Hop themed Art Cards. Rich included the Art Cards as a testament to Hip Hop’s influence on art and pop culture. During Rich’s tour promoting “I’m With The DJ” Rich performed with notable New Jersey producer Mr. Green. After the show he was approached by Jeff Davis aka Stress the White Boy. Stress and Chuck Treece, a powerhouse production duo referred to as STREECE™, began working with Rich on an EP titled “Sad Songz” from Ben Frank Recordings.
The work on “Sad Songz” captured the attention of multi-Grammy award winning artist, Tim “Timebomb” Armstrong of Rancid and Transplants fame. Armstrong, a longtime friend of Stress, collaborated on a track with STREECE™ and Rich Quick. The track entitled “Stay True” became part of the Tim Timebomb and Friends project and quickly became a fan favorite. Other notable collaborations are Jakk Frost, Reef the Lost Cauze, and Rakaa Iriscience (Dilated Peoples)
Rich was then featured in Philadelphia Weekly calling him “Philly hip-hop’s rising star”. After features on HipHopDx.com,RespectMag.com, AllHipHop.com, DJbooth.net and numerous international websites, “Sad Songz” debuted top 40 on the iTunes Hip Hop Album charts the day of it’s release.
More good music from Conscious Route, the English rapper living in Scotland, under the name of ‘Stutter Jack’ his rejected alter-ego! This stuttering, straight-talking rhymer brings a mix of cheek and fluid flows over reggae influenced Hip Hop, Dubstep, and alternative live production. The EP is focussed around two tracks, both worth their weight in gold. This is such a solid outing, make sure you check it.
hiphoplifeandtimes 