Recording for Beverly Boys occurred across 2017 and 2018 with the album being finalized in March 2018. The Beverly Boys Tour kicked off in that month and ended in late April. The tour started in Quebec City and headed west finishing in Courtney BC.
The album begins with "Get Up" produced by Csektion. There's a short build up before Pat starts off the song on the beat drop and its a banging beat some good cuts from Nato on the hook. My main issue is the lack of cohesion between the verses. Pat familiarizes the listener with Edmonton dropping references towards the local Battle Axe division and the Oilers then Komrade comes in with some bars about hating God and stabbing wives. I don't object to metaphorical wife stabbing but I feel like these verses could have fit on different songs. It's one of the weaker songs on the album to me but it's not a huge downer as this album gets better pretty quick.
"Ends Meat" is the second single produced by C-Lance. The song builds with a very eeire loop over some heavy drums. Pats chorus slowly builds then Kom immediately redeems himself with one of his strongest verses on the album. The duo really shine here and play to their strengths with Kom focusing on verses and grim delivery and Pat plays with different rhymes schemes and flows. It's one of the better cases Brothers Grim makes for what "bangers" you can find on Beverly Boys.
The title track is another huge payoff. "Beverly Boy" produced by Kryple of Doom Squad features a great anthemic chorus. The beat reminds me of "Ave Life" from M.F.T.W. the way the bass hit is layered over the snare. This songs has one of those instrumentals that gets the crowd bouncing from the jump. Pat raps about the streets he grew up on and describes the characters you can find in the neighbourhood while Kom familiarizes us with his alliances with Fitch Team and Rebel Hippies while also referencing his upbringing. Good quotable lines on here like "They say Beverly be the best or beats down the broke, I spent my whole check on beats down to broke." from Pats verse and "Thrift store kid I was taught to live frugally, Playgrounds in Jubilee to touring now is lunacy." from Komrades verse. There's all kinds of call outs to Beverly landmarks throughout the song as well.
The better chunk of the album continues with "Speak Freely" produced by Joey VIII. Again we got Pat killing this hook. It's definitely a song you try to rap along with. Every time it plays with some infectious bass hits and the chants of 'Speak Freely" in between other lines in the hooks hold the listeners attention really well. The song doubles as a challenge towards other rappers to hate openly while Brothers Grim boast about their own tendency to never hold their tongues. It's a cool concept and the tambourines that come and go throughout this beats are funky.
The fourth track "United" is one of the more lukewarm songs for me. Nato brings a really somber instrumental with great drums and piano keys throughout. Pat drops one of his more aggressive and braggadocios verses. It's on a verse like this where I can really hear Pats breath control and presence getting better. Komrade drops a cool line about Louis Riel plotting revolution. The guest verse from Touch didn't blow me away the way I thought it would. I'm not sure if the style he used is his trademark sound or not as I'm unfamiliar with his discography. There's just a few bars in Touch's verse where he sounds like he ran out of breath and the change in his voice makes a few lines sound kind of awkward.
"Here For Tonight" was instantly one of my favourites with its explosive production from Joey VIII. The song opens with Pat Grim bringing another anthem style hook. It's hard to describe this beat but it's like techno meets a vintage video game soundtrack. Instantly lit. Kom and Pat rap about the feeling of meeting fans and taking the stage. I can see this being a huge song on tour.
"96" serves as Pat Grims solo song as featuring Drew Pete and C Quel. The verses are cool be as there's a sports theme to all the verses as the rappers compare themselves to athletes. I like the verses fine but, there's some weird cringey lines on this one, like Drew Pete's "I came in this game hungry because I'm fucking starved." Hungry and starved are synonyms bro. The beat isn't my favourite with a more simple drum loop and a few sparse piano keys. For the longer length of this song the instrumental overstays it's welcome.
The next song "Pain Dissolve" is produced by Rayne Drop who returns from Pats "P.O.P.S." Serves as a more emotional song as Kom and Pat share stories about their circumstances growing. Both verses tell a similar story of growing up and feeling disillusioned with the direction and purpose of their lives. Good singing on the hook too.
"Never Change" is one of my favourites from the album. It's more serious ballad featuring Mike Lozinski singing as well as producing. Bringing influence in from Komrades "Steal This EP" in regards to themes of family and relationships, it's a song I didn't expect to like as much as I did. The folk inspired beat and hook mixed with Brother Grim's reflective lyrics feels to me like this song that can bring in new fans from other genres. The dynamics described in the verses are complex but also easy to understand and sympathize with.
Another one of my favourites is "D.A.D.S." with production from Joey VIII. Another banger with metal guitars and tough bass hits across the instrumentation. Pat and Kom boast about stories and experiences they had with their father while connecting those themes with some classic braggadocio. The hook is guaranteed to be a hit at shows and it's a song that can get a big crowd moshing. Don't Act Dumb STUPID!
"The Avenue" features a more gloomy and eerie beat from Joey VIII. Komrade details social issues and gentrification of the surrounding streets while Pat Grim tackles the pill epidemic. The song does a cool way of painting the Avenue as a gloomy setting from its history and crime. Again through this song there's still a sense of pride with the connections and friends the group has across the neighbourhood.
Baggy Lean brings one of the more minimalist instrumentals for Komrade's solo offering. "Already Dead" instantly had me intrigued with a sample from George Carlin before the first verse. The sample is woven between the lyrics of the song. The song reminds me of "Nothing Young Lives Always" or "Around You" from his 2017 EP. The song really shines in the second verse when we get into some gritty lines about terrorism and espionage.
The album closes with "City Is Dying 2" An ambitious follow-up to the groups breakthrough single from 2007, the Kryple arrangement features minimalist trap and lo-fi elements. The song kicks off with Kom recalling the reasons he wrote the first song while Pat mentions how crack quickly became replaced by fentanyl and reminds us these problem plague the city at large and not just the Avenue. Doom Squad also features on this song with Trippz kicking off the second set of verses. His flow is coolest on this I think while he touches on the responsibility that dealers and pushers should feel regarding the fentanyl issue. Ninelivez describes children growing up with parents addicted to drugs and falling into depression and the adlibs on his verse go a long way too. Kryple handles the third verse with some great introspective lyrics holding himself and his generation accountable for their apathy. I should mention Trippz brings a very urgent and sorrowful hook to this song. The drums fade out each time the hook enters helping highlight the notes Trippz is holding. It's a nice touch.
Altogether, Beverly Boys works as a group project. There's little filler and Brothers Grim continue to have fantastic chemistry. The conversations from the their 2017 solo EPs continue in new directions. You'll definitely leave this album knowing more about the duo than you did on Motherfuck The World. The album serves as a love letter to their upbringing while also shedding light on the poverty that has surrounded Beverly and 118 Avenue.
Pros: Great beats throughout, Komrades voice and punchlines continue to give me that ugly face. Pat's presence on the microphone continues to climb. Multiple references to Edmonton history and locations as well as and Canada as a whole. The features work well too. Both MCs out rap each other across this whole record leaving you wondering who killed it more. Pats hooks.
Cons: The solo Pat song felt underwhelming to me, mostly because the sports metaphors went over my head. Once in a while we get a bar or verse that doesn't make any sense or detracts from the song it's from. Surprised Komrade didn't handle many hooks.
