Collector Reviews: Electric Lemonade by Space Kamp

Space Kamp continues to create without boundaries on their sophomore LP, Electric Lemonade.

Three years after the release of the groups debut album, Terpene Station and I had been really looking forward to the follow up project. I felt their debut was something of a sleeper hit as the roster made up of Adlib, Oskee and Split all had flows, vivid narratives and punchlines. All their chemistry was also backed by psychedelic and forward thinking production spear headed by Rob The Viking. They had some good song concepts and came through with a really fun album. The Kamp continued through the decade with multiple tours as well as a seven inch single. Split, however, left the group early on in the production of the sophomore record.

Recording for Electric Lemonade began at Dizzibot Studios in Allentown, Pennsylvania throughout the latter half of 2019. The group also had additional recording sessions at Hyde Street Studios in San Francisco and completed production at the Chamber Studios in Nanaimo, British Columbia. Similar to their first album, production concluded under Rob The Viking as he again provided additional instrumentation, mixing as well as mastering. This new record features guest production from DJ Hoppa and Tabinstereo as well as guest vocals from Tab, Demrick, Jessica Lamb and Split. The record was officially completed in spring of 2020 and released on June 25th.

The record kicks off pretty differently then their last album did with "New Strains". While Terpene Station made a point of presenting three capable and energetic emcees right away, Electric Lemonade fades in with more grace. The twittering synth cords had me really intrigued but I just didn't see this drum break coming. Adoo and Skee have such a filter on their vocals its like a broadcast on a CB echoing through a subway tunnel. Lyrics on this song range from the philosophical to the spiritual as Adoo and Skee focus on setting the mood rather than barring out right away. While the drums are relatively slow the cymbal work helps give it some bounce. The synth music stays pretty mellow up until the the bridge in the center of the track when Rob gives us a truly stunning solo on the synthesizer. I should mention that right off the bat, we're exposed to Rob The Viking handling more of the percussion as well than he did on Terpene Station, as this song and most of Electric Lemonade have noticeable Viking drums (that's never a bad thing). Roll down the windows to this one or just stretch out on the couch.

Keys and synths continue to be the primary instrument on "A.D.I.D.A.S.". The vocal manipulation tones down a little bit here in favor of more punchlines. Adoo opens the song speaking frankly from orbit before our beat comes in. I like seeing the same instruments carry through from the synthesizers to the chunky drums and cymbals. It's exciting to hear Oskee bring that growling delivery that I dug on "Neon Soul" to his verse here. There's standout lines from both guys here too like when Adoo says "My doob's laced, but my shoes not." The guys are definitely echoing the cypher-like energy of the first Kamp LP and DJ TMB has some really mean scratches of Run DMC to help reinforce the funk and add another layer to the acronym as well.  This isn't my favourite song on here but, Rob brought a good bounce and these verses are great refreshers for why Space Kamp is such a unique group.

The album starts to take on a reggae flavour with "Life's A Beach". Now this is one of my favourites on the record. Peppy synth notes bounce along with heavy snares. Rob still adds so much nuance to the progression of this song with different synths buzzing and zipping through the mix. Now given that the Kamp has changed from a trio to a duo we're seeing a little more from both Adlib and Oskee and this track demonstrates that a lot. Adlib is sounding more relaxed and confident than ever as he combines his slower flow with more enthusiastic tone. Oskee delivers a fantastic hook as well as a bridge, but I totally didn't expect him to drop an entire verse in Spanish. Seeing as how rap groups like Cypress and Psycho Realm are standing the test of time and Latin pop is a huge force in music right now, this one really stands to broaden the appeal of the group.

The second single off the record, "Girl Like You" pushes the reggae influence even further. While "Life's A Beach" still carried over a lot of synth work and programmed cymbals, this track here incorporates electric guitars, keyboards and the the cymbals don't feel as mechanical. Adlib is next to stand out as a singer on this totally panoramic hook. We have Adlib delving into his relationship in lines like "And she knows how to please me/To tolerate me can't be easy." Oskee adds more reference towards him falling in love with lines such as, "She tells me all the time/I'm not hard to find pick through the sky." The instrumentation here is so colourful and moving as well. Play this twice at minimum.

The cleverly titled "Homegrown" kicks off with these slamming drums before Adlibs bridge and Robs keys guide us into one of my favourite synth swells of the album. This track is just an affirmation to how Adoo and Oskee have handled their careers thus far. From Adoo saying "Got caught in traffic made our own road/Forever Homegrown, without strong roots, can't nothing grow." The roots referring to this show by show, fan by fan, accumulation that I've witnessed at a Rebel Hippies show personally. My favourite verse from Oskee on this whole record is here too as he's laying down amazing lyrics like "Took a little faith, put that in a pipe/Looked at Adoo told him we gon' be alright." It's a celebration of the bands progression, the joys of touring and it fucking slaps too.

Getting into side B, we have "Summer Of Love". I can see this one being perfect for getting the crowd energy back up after a slower song in the set list. A lot of that back and forth energy from Terpene Station can be felt in this chorus as Adlib and Oskee toss different crowd chants to each other. The bridge sees Jessica Lamb just soaring over this ensemble of kicks drums as the dense wave of synth work continues to rise. Both MCs have standout lines like Adlib in the front leg of the track saying, "Astronauts and dancing bears, smells the freedom in the air/Flowers in her hair, sour in the cone home on her eyes can't leave her alone." And Oskee finishes the track with "Acid hits, daffodils/This how summer suppose to feel." The drum playing is some of my favourite on the album especially leading up to and across the chorus. It reminds me a lot of what was on that Kids See Ghosts album by just being an expansive odyssey of psychedelic proportions.

Track seven is "Chicken & Waffles". Rob crafted one of my favourite beats here. It starts with somber piano keys that sit high and then we get lower keys added. The drum loop has lots open space in it as well. It's definitely one of the songs on this record with the least pieces to it. The result is a really slow and nocturnal bounce for the duo. Both of them have some decent punchlines in here too. I like Adlib saying "In the deck, ain't no eject/Kick a hole in your speaker then we jet." I'm digging his mouth like a disco ball line that's always a cool simile. They take turns rapping the hook here after each of their verses and Oskee drives the cosmic theme of this beat home with lines like "Day trippin' colour coordination vivid/Every step I take open dimensions".  I'm leaving this song feeling like I'm either hitting Dennys at four in the morning on some road trip or getting up from a midnight bong rip to raid the fridge. If I could show you a munchies anthem from outer space, this would be it.

Probably the hardest and most visceral cut on the record is track eight, "In My Bag" featuring Demrick and DJ Hoppa. Hoppa laces up this super mean synth line over some real savage trap percussion. The hi-hats aren't overwhelming and the bass still hits deep. Oskee floats in on this song while keeping his voice into that growling register that I really like. Adoo is still having all kinds of fun with his voice too. There's lyrics that are more clever and deeper from these two on the rest of the album but there's still something special about them tackling a beat as relentless as this. Mind you, having heard both Stoney Point albums that Demrick and DJ Hoppa has done together this might be one of the most visceral things they've been attached to as well. This is also the only track at this pace and with this kind of production  so I find myself coming back for the jolt of energy often.

The lead single of the record, "500 Miles" really surprised me. With how complex and technical production on the rest of the album is, we shed almost all the synth and bass lines for a purely acoustic experience. Similar to how a track like "A.D.I.D.A.S." can take us to a cypher on the street, this one here transports us to a campfire surround by friends. Tab returns from songs like "Tim Leary" to strum guitar as well as lend vocals. As the album winds down, the philosophy and resolve of Space Kamp is more and more highlighted and all three vocalists point that out in their own way. Despite the hook from Tab that you can't avoid humming along to, I think the real crown jewel of track comes from Adoo's verse where he raps "I'm a father, friend, son, stoner/I'm a joker, rock 'n' roller, loner, never had an owner." That, or Oskee in the lines, "Rockstar, switch bars for guitars/Say they don't feel it wait 'til it take off." The gentle crackle of a fire pit helps the song chill us out that much more. These guys continue to show they're comfortable without comfort zones.

The final send off to the LP comes with the title track. Now this shit is crazy. Space Kamps classic rock influence really shines here on every level from the drum set, hypnotic guitar leads and the encompassing echo of all the vocals. Adoo begins with his lyrics reverberating across the whole soundscape and deliver my favourite chorus of his on here too. The song continues to evolve across over seven minutes with guitar solos and quotables from each of them. My favourite line would be Oskee bragging how, no matter what, he has his feet kicked up on the lemonade stand. Split D returns to lend his hand to the all out performance and ends with the pertinent lyric of either creating paradise or wreaking havoc. There's nothing halfway about they're vocal performance on this song or the musical score. Rob The Viking breaks into a tremendous drum line that sweeps us up into the final moment of the album. Guitars are screaming and drums are slamming in this incredible arena sized display and it's a perfect note to end on. I love hearing the original drum pattern reemerge one last time in the final seconds to excitedly hint at the bands next journey. I'm glad they tackled a song like this again to push their sound just that much further before the end.

Pros: Adlib and Oskee are comfortable and confident across this song despite just about everything on here being new or unexplored territory. It feels like the Rebel Hippies slogan of breaking rules has finally linked with their approach to making music. Nine years after Daggermouth, Rob The Viking has found a completely different way to make an opus. The sequencing of each song is perfect to as we go from a sparkly, synth lead first act, to reggae passages, to triumphant anthems. The latter half is less predictable with each song capturing its own note. I should also mention that the song length is for the most part pretty generous as Space Kamp takes time to build introductions and employ all kinds of instrumental passages.

Cons: Though every song on this record is necessary to me, I do feel like an extra idea or exploration could've padded out the record a little bit more. The dynamic change from trio to duo is definitely noticeable in some spots as well since the method of three MCs all shouting lines back and forth was what made their original debut so spontaneous and fun.

Even in the current musical zeitgeist of synth-led psychedelic rap, Space Kamp is the only group I've heard effectively bridge the gap between the new wave and the original directional shift of classic rock from 60's and 70's. Not only can we gleam the more obvious influences of Cypress Hill or a Run DMC but listen close and you'll hear Bob Marley,  Jimi Hendrix and so much more. The result is group that can appeal to a Dead Head the same way a underground head could get into it. Electric Lemonade isn't just a tremendous sophomore LP, but an adventurous homage into all corners of hippie history and culture. While very much still grounded in hip-hop, Space Kamp still lends space to wonderful ventures like the blissful reggae jams on "Girl Like You" or the campfire inspired "500 Miles" and the Woodstock sized climax of the title track. Its shorter in length but seems to cover more ground than Terpene Station with Adoo and Skee subverting expectations on every dial turn while Rob The Viking is pushing his own limits with lush, multi tiered scores full of surprise and nuance. This really IS how summer is supposed to feel.

Collector Reviews: Medallo by Crimeapple & DJ Muggs

Building on the momentum of Crimapples meteoric rise and the continued sharpness of DJ Muggs throughout this past decade, Medallo is something special for both of their catalogs.

New Jersey native Crimeapple first hit my radar about around the tail end of the decade through a collaborative record on the Vinnie Paz album, The Pain Collector. I again saw him on the Westside Gunn album Supreme Blientele, though I still was out of touch when it came to his solo catalog.

I was however, pretty well versed in what Muggs had been up to as I was fresh off of hearing the recent Cypress Hill album Elephants On Acid, as well as his KAOS project with Roc Marciano. Some of the biggest bangers of Vinnie Paz solo albums have also been done over Muggs beats so I knew the potential when it came to Medallo. The record is born out of an odyssey that Crime and Muggs took to the city of Medellin, Columbia and features bilingual lyrics across each song.

The intro to the record has its own spot on the tracklisting. I quite like the sampling here as Muggs mixes brass sections with some cool drum roll chops. The vocals are all in Spanish so I'm only really appreciating the melody. It's short but helps with establishing the setting. It's necessary before you get into the songs I'd say.

Medallo is really a sound to behold off the first song. "En Vivo Desde Manrique" is this stadium sized free verse track with more than a few quotable and quick flows. This sample is so grand with these amazing stretched out horns that only break for a crescendo of strings. There's little drum work on this track beside these rumbling bass hits that enter during the brass parts. Crimes lyrics paint a story of triumph and confidence as he warns promoters of his pricing, brushes off his competitors and throws in some really flashy bilingual moments. Also that line where he rhymes Quetzalcoatl is fuckin nuts.

Muggs drums are in full form on the next track "Tiburones". This beat really takes it's time to build as the synths gradually fade up to our drum drop. This track probably has one of the two hardest snares on the album. Crimeapple continues recounting his rise to prominence with lines like "Nobody tryna sign me fine, I sign myself/The grind remind me of going to knock down your town with nicks and dimes." Crime right away or demonstrating his dexterity when it's time to switch from syllable scheme to the next. This hook is just as hard and commanding as everything else on the song as well.

"Camisas" has one of the more laid back scores on the record. Muggs arranges a wonderful medley of piano chops atop chunky drums. Crime spits about shopping, fancy restaurants and rolling good weed. It's a solid reflection of how his lifestyle has changed. I wish I was fluent in Spanish as this track has easily the most bilingual moments on the record. This a great song to gets some chores done to or roll that first blunt of the day to.

There's a kind of sensual cut with "Prescriptions". Crime isn't necessarily womanizing on this track its more him having relationships on his own terms. He can't slow his grind for any girlfriend which I dig. The sample that sing "Take away your love" really fits and its blended with a wicked baseline and a guitar riff where the snare should be. It's not a banger but its funky and Crimes confidence makes the concept work.

Continuing on the victorious tone of "Camisas" is the sixth track, "Villa Hermosa". There's a little less ego on this track as Crime takes stock of his blessings as well as inspires listeners through lyrics like "What if God made me in his image there couldn't be a limit/Go for yours, never waste a second being timid." The instrumental gets to breathe a lot between the verse and chorus too which is good. This is one of the most layered beats on the record with strings and woodwind instruments joined together with splashes of keys and guitars. A beautiful piece of music.

"Crazy Eddie's" is a favourite of mine too. Muggs adds so much suspense to this song from the buzzing strings whirring in the background and these pounding drums. Some of my favourite bars on the album are on this song like "No Robert Kelly shit, my Kelly Rowland keep the jelly thick/Steady bouncing on my meatballs 'til I got a spaghetti dick". We have a little bit of Spanish lyrics but most of his bars still end on English words. Also I like the line of "If rap don't work, I'm in that spot and you can call that a writers block." This song is dope dealing mixed with decadence. Stupid hard.

My absolute favourite song on here is still the first single "Just Because". Muggs weave this rich tapestry of string and brass sections over another set of muted drums. Crimeapples vocabulary and command of flow comes out on his second verse in lines like "Pots and pans, I'm switchin around brain in the pyrex when the pie is correct/To a rapper ego I'm a threat, you'll probably die from neglect oh bet you upset." The beat works as a slow canvas for Crimeapple to play with all kinds of rhythms but the real selling feature is just the beauty of this sample.

The runner up for my favourite song has to be "Acetone Wash". Crimeapple and Conway sink their teeth into a similarly drum-less sample. Though there is noticeable rhythm in regards to the baseline the instrumentation is still full of colour. The crackle of vinyl ties electric guitars and vocal samples into one seamless score. Conway is not stranger to Muggs production and he opens the track recalling his rise from upstate New York to stardom in lines like "They tried to lock me up but, they ain't have my mind shackled/Now right in front of City Hall they gon' put my statue." This is just the classic slow scary flow that Conways known for and his verse flows so seamlessly across this production. Crimeapple brings one of his more medium paced flows but its fine because the punchlines still hit really well especially line of "I'm just my pops if he could hone his dreams". The instrumental fades back at just the right time to highlight lines from both them as well. Muggs is in his bag for sure.

The last act of the album starts to stagger a bit with this next track "22 Blue Twos" featuring Primo Profit. This beat from Muggs is pretty simple but effective as Crime and Profit both have as much space as they need to spit. The negative to me is just how different the verses are in quality. Primo has such minimal wordplay in his verse and I'm still not fond of his rap voice as I hear too much force behind most of his consonant sounds. Crimeapple kind of picks up the song in his verse but there is also better verses from him in the rest of the record as well. Its the shortest song on here and it almost stops but doesn't end. If that makes sense. There could've been more chord progression in this beat I think.

"No More 2 For 5" has one of my favourite beats on Medallo. Muggs synth work combines with little bursts of keyboard for a real science fiction sound. Aesthetically, this music sounds like a derelict space station especially with the distortion effect on Crimeapples vocals. I like the references to Soul Assassins in the line, "Sippin' champagne at the Soul Assassin cotillion building/Someone oughta be filming I gave mother fuckas a cheeseburger and stuck a pill in." This hook is serviceable but given how fast paced the syllable work is, something repetitive and simple actually works.

The most relaxing joint on the final act of Medallo is "Aguas Profundas". One of Muggs most stripped back productions on the record as this beat ticks along with gentle cymbals and synth work. Crimeapple plays with so many different aquatic punchlines as he brags about expensive seafood dinners and weaves in so many other lines to match the dull sounds of water trickling through the song. A good break because the track right after smashes right away.

Our last real banger comes "Bloodtype". Wide snares and deep resonating kicks are help up by a buzzing string sample but that only half of how this record sounds. There's constant noises of calamity from gunshots and sirens which really adds to the lumbering of this beat. Crime gives us a nod to his friendship with Vinnie Paz in some lines, "I politic with Vincenzo, I'm Pistol Pazzy favourite." which reminds me how much more Muggs beats need to have Vinnie on them and also the circle of spitters Crimeapple has been approved by ad he's still relatively new. This whole track just sounds like a riot. Best snare on the record too.

The final song on the record "Tellin Me Lies", musically is a gentle let down. Quick snaps of electric guitars punctuate a great vocal sample. Crime is sort of deescalating the advances of a woman. He's mostly after the release of sex but too busy for a girlfriend. Decent concept I just cant figure out why this is the last track. I feel like something that wraps up or alludes to the experience of recording music in Columbia could've brought this record home in a more satisfying way.

Medallo is a great piece of art for sure. Musically, Muggs joins each song expertly and knows when to break up the sequencing with more melodic songs after harder songs and vice versa. Medellin definitely was an inspiration on the sample choices and vibe of this album. Crimeapple sporadic flow and wordplay lends very well to every score on Medallo as well. I think Crimes topical focus and storytelling could've lent itself to the album a bit more as he did visit the city all throughout his childhood and has family there. I'm leaving this record still knowing very little of Crimeapples life and struggle despite the theme of the album implying so many motifs of Colombian culture.

Pros: Crime and Muggs have a great working relationship on this album. The samples are lush, diverse and masterfully woven into drums that fit. Crimeapple expands on his staccato rhyme patterns and builds a lot of fantastic choruses as well. Just when we have a contemplative moment that drags slightly, theres a banger full of snares right around the corner. The Conway and Primo Profit are  excellent choices for each of their songs. Also the command of language Crime possesses in English and Spanish adds an entire layer of culture. The talent it takes for him to change language mid verse and sometimes even mid sentence, is immeasurable.

Cons: Focusing on one story isn't necessarily Crimes strongest suit. We have songs like "Villa Hermosa", "Prescription" and "Tellin Me Lies" that hone in on situations and reflections but for the most part a lot of Crime topical focus is pretty scattered in most songs. I also think the scope of the album began better than it ended. Minimal stuff though, as every song here has good qualities.

Collector Reviews: The Uncanny Adventures Of Watson And Holmes by Blacastan & Stu Bangas

Blacastan and Stu Bangas return to the Watson And Holmes series playing to their strengths on The Uncanny Adventures Of Watson And Holmes.

I first caught wind of Blacastan and Stu around 2014 after Army of The Pharaohs dropped In Death Reborn. Stu produced the lead single "God Particle" while Blacastan lent verses to eight of the fourteen songs across the album. The collaboration made sense on paper with the the two musicians having a very similar reach and style.

The first "Watson And Holmes" was released the following summer and I liked it plenty but, I still wasn't sure if the duo was permanent or would work together again. So in early 2017 I was intrigued and excited to hear rumblings of a second installment. The record finally hit stores on June 9th of that year.

The album opens with "A Glass Of Port [Intro]" where we hear a skit that I would guess samples either a show or cartoon relating to other Sherlock Holmes adaptations. It's a good precursor to the skits and interludes that blend the track-listing together. Most of the time I flip past it to get into the rapping parts but the added mythos goes a long way.

The music kicks in with "Lucifer's Sickle". Right off the bat we're hooked with this wailing vocal sample atop rattling drums. Stu Bangas finally unleashes guitar riffs and bass lines for the beat drop and Blacastan goes right on in with his punchlines. I love these opening of the second verse "I'm at your door, black hoodie and sickle, black hellhounds'll sick you/Sign your self over your death is official." I hope I'm hearing that right. Blac moves through his rhymes pretty briskly on here but you can still catch what he's tryna getting across.

The song "Summa Cum Laude" featuring Apathy is the third track and the lead single for the album. It's one of my favourites with eerie synths throughout. The whole song has me imagining cobblestones streets and Tommy guns. Like some mafioso drive by shit. The drums breathe really nice and the eerie leads fade and reenter, emphasizing Blacastans' lines like "Me afraid of a mic is like Spider-Man with arachnophobia/Or a dope fiend afraid to shoot the opium up." Blac kills the first two verses but, I think Apathy truly went hammer on this beat. Shouts out to Apathy for his range of references in the first couple of lines too "We've been Christ-like since the days of Zelda and Exite Bike/First Edition Nike Flights, Atari's and Lite Brights." Like OK go off. All three of these guys have such a track record together, how could it not be fire?

"Rap Killin'" fades in with these glittery keys and strings before a hook made from chops of Nas and Biggie comes in. I dig the double snare hits as well as the hi hats that swing in to pick up the pace in each of Blacs verses. Blac also has some great schemes in here to like "I'm Merlin, twirling in the sky like a whirlwind/In Germany conjuring a storm over Berlin." The first act of The Uncanny shows both Blac and Stu hitting us with as many bangers as they can and I'm all for it.

Definitely the hardest beat in this portion of the album to me is "Commando". It's almost sounds like Stu is flipping sleigh bells to match the baseline and drums. This beat had me scowling off the first bar and Blac responds with some of the most disrespectful and vulgar lines on the whole album. We got lines about turning out people wives in the verse and the hook has him snatching your kids out of daycare. Blac is coming for you on this one and theres nothing you can do.

The instrumentation gets a little more mellow on the next collaborative cut, "Blac-O-Teric". I love the synths that twist their way across the heavy kick drums. Blacastan and Esoteric take the bpm of this beat as an opportunity to really spit as many multi-syllabic rhymes as possible. Blac really kicks this off with a tongue twister line "Now that you hear me spit it, notice that its lava every time you get it/Rhyming as crimes committed, knowing that you never did it." I like Eso on here as we see him bringing trusted comic references on lines like "By the way that Stu had flipped a banger after banger/My anger I can't contain, my lane is Bruce Banner." This beat isn't as hard or obnoxious as others on the album so sometimes I'm skipping it. The syllable schemes from Blac and Eso to me are really what sell this song.

The narrative of Watson and Holmes 2 is also linked by skits and outros you can find scattered between songs. The second of those skits is "State Your Name". I'm not sure if these skits are all being pulled from the same movie or shows but it's really going a long way towards the cohesion of the project.

One of my favourite tracks on the album is "Zone Out". I love the funky bass strings and cymbals. Its definitely one of the more stripped back beat that Stu provides here and Blacastan knows exactly what to do with it. This is like the perfect track to break up some weed or cook to. One of the best hooks on the record is here and Blac is slicing shit on the verses too. I love the way he calls out to different part of the world as the beat fades too. I can see this song being just a super organic process to make. Chill but lyrical too. Stu also laces up an amazing instrumental bridge too that takes us in the song after this.

"War Crimes" is a fucking jam as well. I like the synth notes that lead into the song and Tragedy Khadafi gets right down to it with bars like, "Opiate lines inject in your mind and overdose ya/Heavenly bent, life's to real to remain sober." Blacastan spits one of my favourite choruses on the album here and I love his line of popping your top like a champagne cork. This beat from Stu is pretty open as well. The drums have lots of air so the tempo feels slower than it is despite all the minute sounds clicking away behind our main note. Shits knocking though. We also have another solid bridge to the next song.

My favourite track overall is without question "Sin City". Stu flips these wild guitar leads until the beat kicks in. Those intricate guitars leads get more drawn out after the drums drop and Blacastan matches his punchlines and flow switch-ups with the alternating snares and cymbals are layered on the drums with every other bar. Blacastan blends luxury with grime in lines like, "Summer of Sam, catchin' bodies, covering land/Catch a flight at top speed in a Euro sedan." Globe trotting and reigning terror on rappers. Letting the guitar breathe during the hook was a good call too. Spin this one back for sure.

Blac and Stu continue to make song transitions so seamless and exciting as Sin City ends in time for another skit to introduce some of the ingredients of our next beat. "Delete" features brass sections and this super wide decaying synth over one of my favourite snares on the record. The cuts from 7L continue through the outro on "Sin City" to become the hook for this song. the I love the vocabulary of Blacastans verse as he boasts, "I'm a savage magician, A time traveling wizard/A violent technician with a javelins precision". Bill has lots of cool internal rhymes for his entry here too. Every collaborative cut on here has had its own vibe so far demonstrating the versatility of both Blacastan and Stu with this one being one of the more eclectic and quirky songs.

The concept of Watson & Holmes really comes alive in "Murder Mystery II". The song has Blac investigating a murder case, gathering witnesses and reviewing evidence over these really somber synth notes and string sections from Stu. Blacastan doesn't flex his rhymes too much but he sticks to the storytelling really well. Part of me wishes the second verse had some more lines to it because this is really the only song that matches storytelling with the album title.

"Remington" is another no holds barred banger. Though I do find the synth leads a little garish and noisy but similar to "Commando" in the first act this track just sees Blac slicing shit with bars like, "Hip-hop reviews from [writers] with no clue/Give a fuck about your views get slapped out your shoes." The hook here is just stupid hard as well as Blac is likens his crew to gorillas in the jungle. This is that song that you play on your last set on the bench press. The transition to the next song is seamless yet again as Stu lets the song wind down gently with brass instruments.

Another strong song on the tail end of this record is "Catchin' Bodies". I dig the arena sized guitar chops and the keys. I like the lines where Blac names all his cohorts in AOTP just in case listeners forgot the cloth he's cut from. A lot of that pharaoh lyrical content can be found here too in like such as, "God body, equivalent to the number seven/black pope with no belief in holy books and heaven." I like the jab he takes at Flex because from the perspective of an underground/independent fan I always see these platforms not going to some rappers who really deserve that exposure. The hook here is great too.

The final instrumental bridge is "Forgot To Say" is a great piece of music too. Stu digs up this wild piano sample and knows just what drums to lay underneath the keys. I like that the vocal bit has lots of room to breathe too. Creative decisions like this to let the music shine really go a long way.

The record ends with a sort of epilogue song "Circle Of Fire". This song is just the icing on the cake. These drums from Stu are mean and metallic with blaring electric guitar sections that carry us through verses from Blacastan and Nutso. Blac leaves us a few more gems just to be safe and Nutso is going just as hard too. This beat is right up there for me with some of the earlier slaps like "Commando" or "Sin City" as some of my favourite Stu Bangas beats I've heard yet.

When it comes to the Army Of The Pharaohs collective and the albums you can find from the individual members, Blacastan and Stu Bangas have made something really essential here. Blacastan shows his versatility and his aptitude for writing choruses making so many of these songs memorable. The features old and new have some classic entries as I never felt like any of them felt washed to out of place. The instrumentals are something else too samples from Stu are lush, layered and dusty all at the same time. Stu Bangas brings drums sets that are as tough as you'd want them to be pretty much every time.

Pros: As far as the Pharaohs family goes, Blacastan really pulls ahead with these Watson and Holmes records. Stu Bangas is lending some of his best beats of the decade to this album and Blacastan creates a challenge for every feature they recruit. Each song blends seamlessly into the next with skits and samples and the record slows down just when it needs to.

Cons: Aside from the skits and Murder Mystery II, Blacastan and Stu aren't really writing too many stories that pertain to detective work or mysteries. Almost every song on here is pretty loose in concept. We get a few glimpses on the record into Blacastan as a person and his storytelling but, its rare. If I had any expectations for the third record it would be to hear Blacastan hone in on something topical more often because he's got the bars down pat already.

Collector Reviews: Street Urchin 2 by Sean Strange

Almost a decade after Sean Strange's breakthrough tape comes the long anticipated sequel, Street Urchin 2.

I first heard of Sean Strange when my older brother put me on to the Snowgoons Dynasty album in 2012. Despite there being thirty-one other tracks to choose from I kept coming back to Seans entry on the record, "Cardiac Rhythm". I was instantly taken by his sincerity and gruff delivery. Combine that with every other Snowgoons feature he's hopped on since and I knew I had to get some of his solo catalog. I ended up seeing him in June of 2016 when he toured Canada with Illegal, Crypt and Chris Rivers where I picked up the original Street Urchin at the merch table.

Advertised as his most complete and calculated record yet, Urchin 2 was marketed and teased for about two years before it's release. Strange assured fans that he was securing distribution deals while putting the finishing touches on the album. While the album had a ball park release date of late 2018, Sean Strange dropped a free mixtape Preemium Dope as well as a collaborative effort with Nah Bro label mate Scott G entitled Tommy & Ghost. It should be noted that about 80% of the beats are from Sean Strange himself and that had me real excited going into the record. The album was eventually unleashed in spring of 2019.

Kicking off the record is the Snowgoons produced "First Copy Of The Presses". The song features a spoken intro from his niece, Alyssa G, as well as adlibs from her between Seans bars throughout most of the track. It's one of my favourite opening songs of the year. Instantly we're reacquainted with not only chemistry of Sean and the Snowgoons together but, also the conviction that Sean Strange has towards forging a legacy and a career on his own terms. Bars like "And to whoever praying that I fall thinking I'm gone/I'm here forever peep the logo that I inked on my arm." just help cement what he's trying to do and how long he's trying to do it for. I love the angle of opening the album with the most relentless verse possible and dropping us straight into booming kick drums and thick snares.

"Warning Shot" is a solid follow up. Our first beat from Strange kicks off and ends with Micheal Rapaport quotes. I feel like this score could've been a little funkier like maybe a twang of an actual string bass instead of the bass we got. This drums still have lots of open air in them for Strange to punctuate with echoing adlibs and some amazing punchlines. Even as a fan who has no interest in being a rapper the line "Feel like I'm underneath a permanent black cloud/And everywhere I go another herb wanna rap now." hits me right in my soul. He spends the rest of his verses firing at current trends in hip-pop like materialism, the recycling of flows as well as the seemingly infinite number of people trying to be rappers. He finishes clapping at fans and other rappers who try him over social media. It's an easy song to bump because it has attitude and you can nod your head to it.

We get a little deeper on the third track "Still Urchin After All These Years" as Strange delves into hitting licks to build his studio budget as well as generally being a wild youth. I like how he balances his circumstances with his decisions in lines like "Back then I didn't need a gun but went to get me one." I'm digging the production too on this song as its a bit slower than most of the other joints in the first act but the snare still slaps. It's ominous and portrays the uglier side of Seans come up while setting us up perfectly for the next track. It is however, pretty slow in flow and tempo so usually I skip ahead to something more explosive.

"107th & Atlantic" is a fantastic personal moment on Urchin 2. Sentury Status produces one of my favourite beats on the record. Seans lyrics float on top of these theatrical cymbals and graceful piano keys and the instrumental swell that carries us to the chorus is perfect. Sean iterates growing up in a single parent household, wilding out as a youth and, more recently in his adult life, coming to terms with his fathers passing. The tone of the track is really the best part as he expresses so much pride about his upbringing. Other lines like "They told me get a 9-5 and that my dream fake/But now I headline in other countries because I keep faith." His sense of duty in his career is clearly linked with how important his family is. The sense of not giving up despite your circumstances is also well explored. This chorus is one of my favourites on the album like in the top three or something. A flawless song.

"Legend Of The Scarface" has our first feature on the record. Strange and Merkules have recorded a good handful of songs over the 2010's and this can hang with any of them. Between the build up and explosion of Sean's chorus to how he and Merk both take their verses by storm, how does one even dislike this song? They're both shouting each other out throughout the song and the chemistry is undeniable. I'll take more collaborations from the two of them in a heartbeat. It was really at this point in the record that I realized how solid Sean's production style is. He has a terrific command of keyboards and can lay a perfect snare like it's nothing.

Track six is a definite highlight for me. "Rap Science" kicks off with a Prodigy bar we have for the hook but the true crown jewel is the beat and Seans flow across it. Strange has been connected with EPMD and Def Squad for the majority of this past decade and this song features production from Erick Sermon and Rockwilder. Its such a fun and funky song with tambourines shaking throughout a pretty bizarre snare and bass line. It works though as Seans manic double time flow fit atop this instrumental so well. In these types of underground records that take the nineties sound into the modern era I always feel like some of the fun is lost in favor of aggression. This beat is just straight up fun and groovy. Despite the laid back reggae flavour of the beat I like that Sean still took it to another level with his lyricism. Smack that replay button for sure.

Another easy favourite of mine is still "95 Live". The track just has one of those instrumentals that hits every box on the check list. Between the simple piano keys and resonating bass and Sean's ear for snares we have one of my favourite beats on the entire album. Though the topic is pretty loose like most of the hard tracks on Street Urchin 2, we have more than enough syllable schemes and punchlines to grab hold of. Hook is simple and punchy too The attitude and pride you'd expect from Queens is alive as Sean jabs at rappers who waste their money and throws shade at hip-hop fashion too. I don't want to spoil that many of the punchlines it's just a banger that's easy to get into.

"Couples Therapy" is somewhat of a paradox. I love the keys and vocal harmonies from Salomé that open the track and Sean's earnest verses. We see Sean asking his now wife (girlfriend at the time he wrote the song) to trust in him that he'll be a dutiful husband. The pre-chorus where Sean spits "It wasn't the first and it won't be the last time/I'll let the chorus talk for every word that I can't rhyme." is a fantastic lead into Salomés beautiful chorus. The message is great but I cant help but feel these drums are... too hard. I'd never thought I'd say that but they really stick out amongst the rest of this beat.

My least favourite song on the album is probably "The Devil Is A Drug Addict". Between the cacophonous instrumental full of 808 snares and sub bass and the Sean's manic delivery it's just... too much. I love to see substance abuse be broken down in a meaningful way but this song doesn't really do this. Sean paints this picture of a neglected inner city which I do enjoy but its presented with more criticism towards the actual addicts which I didn't care for. If the aggression was toned down on a conceptual track like this I'd enjoy it a lot more. Though as I'm relatively new to listening to his solo material, so maybe he's touched this subject on earlier albums. I'll have to dig.

The contemplative portion of the album continues with "Love Me Now. Not Later". We mostly have a track here about people in his circle not valuing him or wanting things from him. I like that his delivery is more somber and the beat is as well. Piano keys and vocal chops move through another batch of drums with lots of open space in them, I'm starting to really enjoy the minimal ingredients that his beats are composed from. Memorable punchlines here too like "If you're holding onto my name make sure you wear it right." Good stuff but more of my favourite songs are just around the corner so sometimes I skip.

The second appearance of Erick Sermon on the boards is on "Peppers & Eggs". Sermon fits right in with act two with the soundtrack he's provided. It's another head and trunk knocker with Strange jumping right into his first verse as he drums drop. I love the echo on the snare and the little snaps of electric guitar. Sean Strange lends some of his better syllable schemes and wit to this song as well. We have lines about Tekashi, cruising around listening to Non Phixion as well as Sean keeping heads on his mantle. It's just one wild line after another with Sean Price and Jay-Z lines being mashed together on the turntable. It's really good.

"Vial Caps" is just snares and ignorance at it's finest. Sean recruits fellow Nah Bro MC Scott G and Griselda rapper Westside Gunn for an all out bragging contest. They each bring their own approach to Seans lumbering instrumental. Sean touches on touring all the world, sending rappers to the hospital with plenty of syllable flips to go with.  I love that Gunn was still able to get his personality of adlibs and death threats into his verse and his hook here is just as wild. Scott takes his own verse by storm with lines about fiends licking plastic bags to him stepping out of sports cars. Stupid hard and my favourite collaborative track on Urchin 2.

Seans wit and bullshit detection is displayed perfectly again on "Fuck You". Pianos and fast drums takes us right into a really fun "chant and response" chorus. You can't have a bad time listening to this hook. The quips come fast on this one like "The underground king, I bring death to any and all/And if the title on the line then you should hand me the ball." or smart branding lines like "I rep the N-A-H to the B-R-O/Whether you love me or you hate me when you leave my show." The song just booms with relentless attitude from start to finish.

The next collab is on "The Nah Brothers" Corey Joseph and Stress both have good lines. Corey (formally Odoub) drops a great finishing line "You and money don't mix like an EDM DJ." Stress comparing rappers income to volunteer work is funny and he says "You talk the nineties but you were soft as shit/You walked around with tribal tattoos and frosted tips." Sean Strange compares losing to him in a battle resembling getting the Breakfast Club's Donkey Of The Day. All three of them have a solid assortment of quotables. The samples and vocals in the chorus are kinda garish but. still a good one.

My favourite Sean Strange and Salome track of the the two starts to wind down the third act of the record. "Truth Or Dare" picks up where "Love Me Now, Not Later" left off. Strange lays out his moral compass over a laid-back and contemplative instrumental. Aura Phi combines gentle keys and strings over jabbing kicks and hand claps. Sean demonstrates growth and his affinity for comparison in bars like "Crying on the shoulder of the devil when I had you pegged/Now I won't try and change your mind when you at the ledge." This hook works too as its simple but gives Salome plenty of space. The track is a strong example of the catharsis I want to hear in the third act of an album.

The self produced "Black Forest" begins with somber piano notes and echoing claps. The cool thing about the clap though is that they're so spaced apart. I did notice right away the pianos fall back in the mix in favour of the bass line and vocals, however. We see Strange getting stressed out with lines like "My girl getting worried, can't blame her for that/She know they call me for a favour everyday when I'm tapped." A great characteristic of this song is Seans screaming adlibs that lead us into chorus. The kicks drums punch through and are matched with thicker snare drums during our hook. Though it really is a slow burn, given that the majority of what Sean produced for Urchin 2 is made for more explosive concert moments, "Black Forest" is my favourite of the records closing moments.

The tail end of  "Black Forest" winds down with some seriously creepy samples. Almost as if its setting us up for Sean performance on this final track. The actual earliest single of Street Urchin 2 is "Bang Your Head". It makes sense to cap off the album with this song as it dropped so early to the point where treating like a bonus track was really the only way to sequence it. This track is just all aggression and I love it. Well, parts of it. The beat is crazy with another huge snare and sinister keys but this hook is kinda repetitive I think. I do like that Seans delivery progressively more manic through each verse though. It's really a banger even though part of me feels like this album has already had so many.

Pros: Sean pen is reliably witty and his production style always slaps. You can definitely see his experience of touring has influenced his approach to music as nearly every beat is designed to incite riots. Great snares, catchy hooks and every feature fits and knows what they need to do. I always had my eye on Sean Strange but this is definitely that album that has me really tuning in for whatever he does.

Cons: As much as I love the New York sound, I do think there is room for Sean to broaden his production style. Once the album is through you realize Urchin 2 doesn't really have anything experimental. Most of these beats here are gigantic snares and piano keys. I'd love to see more intros, more instrumental bridges and perhaps a little less frustration. Sean spends, in my opinion, way too much time being confrontational toward different styles of rap. I suspect there is little overlap between his fan base and the fans of someone in the mainstream circuit so there's a few moments where I'm wondering who those lines are even meant for.

Street Urchin 2 is a pretty consistent record. All the attitude and tradition you'd want an MC from Queens to have Sean deliver and then some. You can bump this in the gym no problem. There's no feature that doesn't deserve to be here either as the whole Nah Bro team have great entries and so do all the outside names. The branding and personality of Sean is unshakable as well and he takes us through all kinds of knocking boom bap production. There a few songs where I found the concept didn't really stick the landing though.

Collector Reviews: Secrets And Escapes by Brother Ali

Rapped by Brother Ali and produced by Evidence, Secrets And Escapes is a harrowing journey into the spiritual and industrial.

Both Ali and Ev had, in my opinion, released incredible material in the later half of the decade already. From Ali putting out his album All This Beauty In This Whole Life in 2017 and Evidence releasing Weather Or Not in 2018. My expectations of the next project was high for each of them, regardless of who they worked with and however long it took to make.

Secrets And Escapes is the result of three studio sessions at Evidences house in Venice beach. According to the Rhymesayers website, Evidence produced this beats in a way where they couldn't be modified or rearranged in the mixing process and Brother Ali never wrote a single rhyme down or planned out his song structure before recording . The idea of such a lightning in a bottle approach to creation was what really intrigued me about this record beyond just who was making it. The album was released spontaneously without any marketing on the first of November. The Secrets And Escapes Tour officially kicked off across the United States the following February.

The record opens with "Abu Enzo". Brass sections and keys surround this somber and metallic drum loop. I love the softer tone of Ali's voice as he raps his first verse and the echos of Evidence's son Enzo that pepper the second half of the song. There's great quotables here too from the jump too like "Don't let the hat and shoes fool you sir/I grew up where there's anarchy let me school you sir." Theme like spiritually and family are blended with a little bit of bragging. Its a positive note to open on and a good indicator of the approach they took to this album. You can already hear Evidence and his sound are pulling something out of Brother Ali that we haven't experienced before.

Our biggest ticket feature and easily the hardest song on the album is "Situated" featuring Pharaohe Monch. There a synth lead that vibrates behind these beautiful and haunting soul chops. Evidence is bringing such a dark and visceral sound to this score and the melodic, cracking voice we love from Brother Ali is in rare form here as well. My favourite line from him has to be "They thought the prison of this earthly body might define me/They thought that because the God is out of sight I'd follow blindly." This verse from Ali brings me right back to the hair raising power of his Mourning In America title track and his verse on Immortal Technique's The Martyr. He's flowing effortlessly for what feels like an entire minute before the beat becomes muffled for a brief moment and Pharaohe tackles his own verse. Pharaohe to me is like Black Thought and Pusha T as he originated in a group but throughout the 2010's he always showed up to body a verse here or there just to show he ain't lost it. Lines like "Violent with the double entendres/The weed wacker that'll strike the bong and hit ganja." There's just a proficiency to his syllable schemes and vocabulary. To listen to this song only once during a playthrough is straight up wrong.

The pace doesn't let up as the next track begins with no build up at all. "The Greatest Who Never Lived" has one of my favourite beats on the record. Warbly keys and dusty drums relentlessly rock with Ali's free form verse. Quotable and syllable schemes spill out of Ali at a unstoppable pace with great examples like "What type of chain, trophy or walk of fame can they grant me?/I spit it so grandly that my mimics win they're Grammy's." Though my main issue with this album begins to show up around this point and that issues is the song length. I love that the verse are so long and unstructured but I'm still bummed that we have songs on here that end before two minutes. I'm loving the unpolished instrumentals and erratic song format I just wish I had more to vibe to before Ev and Ali moved on to the next one.

"Father Figures" is a wonderful and focused story. Brother Ali pens his his philosophy and gratitude in the first verse and delves in his experience of the FBI visiting his home. Common themes of peaceful religion, family and seeing the best I people on display here. Shimmering keys and and gentle drum break keeps us nodding all the way through. I love the parallels Ali draws between war torn countries across the world and the inner cities of America as well. Even though this is one of our closest examples to the typical "verse, hook, verse, hook" song structure Ali still keeping variety to the way he arranges his chorus. A touching story over a calming beat.

Another amazing song that doesn't last long enough for me is "Apple Tree Me". Bass lines and crisps keys clash with clobbering drum breaks. This is definitely one of those songs where you can feel both Brother Ali and Evidence breaking out of their comfort zones, however. From Brother Ali's pertinent subject matter and Ev's beat its hard not to have goosebumps throughout. I love the way C.S. Armstrong's passage fits so well atop this instrumental too. The abrupt ending is something I have a bone to pick with however. A second verse would've gone a long way.

Brother Ali and Evidence actually rap together on the sixth track "Red". I love the burst of woodwinds that run through this beat. The drums are at that smooth and open Evidence pace as well. Both of them have more than a few notable line like when Ev rapped "These are not words with empty promises/These are from a person who's immersed in where the drama is." Brother Ali has some crazy tongue twisting lines too such as "Shells casings or penmanship they felt it when I sent it/ my sixth sent sentence sensitivity is vintage." (I hope I heard that one right.) This verse from him is on par with what he dropped on "Situated" as his multi syllable rhymes and breath control are just beyond crazy. I love the line of how their "Drum chops have seen it all." and how each of their eyes were red for different reason. Chemistry without a doubt.

The title track brings us these double tap kick drums and mellow guitar strumming. Your head is nodding instantly as this new flow Ali is operating with throughout the album continues to shine. I love the second verse where Ali's vocal delivery gets grittier as he says "I know that you're hearing all these confessions considering I must be so sincere with it/ I'm sitting here bearing it my ego get embarrassed starting tearing at the intention I claim, made it a chain and started wearing it." Also this has to be the only time I've heard the word "regalia" rhymed with something so props. I'm thinking this is probably my favourite song as I've played the whole album over and over for the sake of this review and this continues to be the jam.

"De La Kufi" is a lot of fun too with another one of my favourite beats on the record. The beat is pretty funky with vocal chops, swelling brass sections and cymbals. I love so much that Brother Ali broke away from the confines of spitting sixteens and then a hook and then another sixteen. He and Talib Kweli lay out these wonderfully complex twenty four bar verse. There's more quotables to unpack like when Ali says "A full blown fan and always one of the baddest/That's just part and parcel of my starving artists status." I also dig the line from Kweli about rappers not wanting none. It's a groovy tune with two MCs sharpening each other.

The subject of social media is tackled pretty thoroughly on "Red Light Zone". Evidence weaves this chunky bass line over these slow shuffling drums for another mellow head bob. Ali raps about clout chasing, body image and the perception of success that we get through flexing on Instagram. It's just a solid dissection of current trends in the entertainment industry that draws that line in the sand of what Brother Ali is about without sounding bitter towards younger artists. There's lots of ways a song topic like this could be mean spirited and Ali keeps it pretty layered and understanding.

"Idhin" is a chill venture into science fiction. I love all the buzzes and blips of our synth leads while Brother Ali just lays out his resolve towards what he raps about and why he does it. The issue of song length and structure still plagues this track a little bit too as we barely creep over the two minute mark. The line of him not being able to feed your compliments to all his children is to the point as well. But again, its a great song and concept that deserved more elaboration in my opinion.

If the title track is my favourite then the closer, "They Shot Ricky" is my second favourite. I love the vintage horns and ticking cymbals blended with Brother Ali softer delivery. Its such a great song of trusting in your partner on a spiritual and intellectual level. I love the line "I pray we make good on a smidgen of all that we've been given/Time that you and I been spending packed a lot of living." The hook is probably my favourite on the album too. Even with this subject matter he breaks down into some great syllable schemes and flexes an impressive vocabulary as well.

Secrets And Escapes is to me, a combination of two polarizing things. For one, Brother Ali and Evidence have fantastic chemistry. The beats fit each subject, Ali is out of his comfort zone and so is Evidence. Instrumentally, this record is an absolute feast. However, as much as I like the improvised nature of this record, one verse and two hooks simply isn't enough for me. If this were a Soundcloud record with explosive and repetitive energy I might understand the short song length but, for Ali and Evidence I truly feel what they do requires a bit more forethought. I can't help but think one more studio session would've gone a long way if to just add a second verse here or an intro or instrumental buildup there.

Pros: Ali and Evidence work really well together on every song. The flash in the pan approach to the beats matches the lyrics and vocal delivery. The album really flows from one track to the next and when we get a fleshed out idea where there's two solid verses and a versatile beat we have some of my favourite music of 2019. Each feature is exciting and challenges Brother Ali to rap either harder or differently.

Cons: Unfortunately, with the limited recording time and improvisation of this record, there is a lot that feels either unfinished or underwritten. We see amazing rises of momentum that just abruptly end more than once on this record. As much as I love their approach to this album and how freely they created I can't help but think some form of planning would've strengthen the flow of this album a little bit more.

Collector Reviews: One Day by Slaine

On his fourth studio album, One Day, Slaine relinquishes the past and grabs hold of the present.

Slaine was probably in the first half a dozen underground rappers I discovered in my senior year. I can still recall riding the bus home after school and stopping at HMV to grab my copy of The King Of Everything Else. I've followed every release since that album from 2014 because I found his music to be very accessible as Slaine has a good ear for production and his delivery and writing was pretty stand out as well.

If there's anything specifically that intrigued me about One Day it would be the musical partnership that this album comes from. Arcitype produces eleven of the twelve songs and was also hands on through mixing and recording. Some of the best albums of the decade have been bred out of this "one rapper and one producer" approach. It's been a winning formula and a lot of cuts I've heard Arcitype produce for Slaine over the past few years have certainly slapped. From every article I read anticipating this album I was confident we'd see a solid release.

Since previous full-length album, Slaine continued through the decade with other releases like, To Thine Own Self Be True with La Coka Nostra in 2016, as well as a solo EP that year. In 2017 he and fellow Boston MC Termanology released the collaborative album Anti-Hero and Slaine spent most of the next year touring. News of Slaine's fourth LP started to surface in early 2019. One Day was officially released on November 22nd while Slaine was touring in Canada with La Coka Nostra.

The album begins with the lead single "Redemption". We're reacquainted with Arcitype's style as the beat floats in on these beautiful opera chops and light percussion until the true drums tackle their way through the speakers giving the song this continuing sense of sonic momentum. Slaine pens fifty bars across this continuously evolving and changing beat. The kick drum picks up and keeps pace with some of his faster flows midway through the track as well giving his verbal assault a more dynamic playground. It's a musical odyssey on the production side that matches Slaine's erratic syllable work and bar structure. Topical focus and meaty production are shown to be priorities for Slaine and Arcitype right away.

"Time Is Now" turned out to be one of my favourite songs on the album and could actually close the year as one of my top songs. The beat is tough and catchy as it evolves from bass playing to chunky snares shuffling through Slaine's verses. Slaine invites listeners to seize the day through fiery quotables like "Fear of the dumb, deaf and blind it can run amok/So you either falling down or you're comin' up". The chorus is fantastic too as Rite Hook bursts into the song with this megaphone sound quality to his voice. Combine that with crowd chants and the brisk beat and you're nodding your head all the way until you restart the song. This drum loop definitely deserved a good fade out I'm glad we got that too.

The guest features on One Day are mostly isolated to hooks save for two songs. "Still Got My Gun" is the first of those two tracks and was also the second single to the album. Woodwind and opera leads combine with keys and string notes for a luscious and cinematic intro. Featuring Ill Bill and Vinnie Paz, it's an acceptable banger that can stand with any number of collaborations between the three of these MCs. They all have such complimentary styles even if they are simply throwing some violent braggadocio around over a eerie and aggressive beat. Arcitypes instrumental swell after each verse brings the song to a fun high point when Rite Hook enters for the chorus. It's the mostly the pace and evolution of the song that keeps me in tune as these four vocalists aren't really challenging themselves in terms of what they do with this type of song. It's a banger but not much else.

"Trick The Trap" is pretty fine by me. Most of the same ingredients from "Time Is Now" return with the track starting from bass plucking to dusty snares. I love how Slaine pens a character piece in each verse to get across themes of inner city life and revenge. Rasheed Chappell handles the chorus with some laid back punchlines such as "One rule to this game the game has no rules". Statik Selektah can be heard winding back little synth note across the beat as well. Despite being sandwiched between two songs I play way more than this one, theres a great narrative and a desolate beat that fits the song. I do wish Statik was utilized a bit more, however.

Another one of my favourite songs from the album is easily "It Catches You". The only track not produced by Arcitype as 9am handles the drums and Samuel Burke rocks the guitar (I think). Muted echoing drums guide us through into Slaine vocals as the beat shifts from the beginning composition to synthesizers and harsher snares. This is one of the best tracks that showcases the sound of the album. "It Catches You" is a constantly evolving emotional journey that showcases Slaine describing his life in drug infested houses while the second verse ventures into the tragedy of the time we lose through escapism. Nico Franc brings incredible vocal harmonies across the chorus as well as the fade out giving us one of the most bombastic and complex scores on the album. I love how this beat incorporates both acoustic and electric guitars as it transforms. I'm not sure what additional instrumentation comes from Arcitype on this one but it still feels like a beat with his touch on it. A true art piece.

Of the two feature heavy tracks, I think "Broken Toys" is the stronger one. Aside from some spare piano keys in the beginning, we mostly have eerie synths weaving through sputtering drums. Slaine, Apathy and Locksmith tackle some very prudent concepts with great syllable schemes. The three of them aim at the shrinking attention span of music fans, to clout chasing to hip-hops original empowering roots being lost to the homogenized sound of mainstream music. There's incredible bar work being done by all three MCs from Apathy's line about construction workers digging up a rappers body months after, to Locksmith's cold as ice finishing couplet. Of all the guest verses on this LP I think Lock goes home with the best entry. I love the current state of hip-hop and the music industry in general being referred to as a bizarro world as well. Topical focus and complexity like I said before. Shit goes in.

We cross over the halfway point of One Day with "Night Will Fall". The drums loop isn't super intricate but I still love the deep rumble of the kick drum. Like most of the albums second act, it's similarly eerie but I think the real reason I replay this song is Slaine's wild vocal performance across the two verses. The second verse really conveys great emotion through the delivery off the lines "You were never born in this world I exist/I have fought I endured I assure you of this". The hook is great too as Slaine combines his gravely delivery with some of the vowels being stretched to their breaking point. Ominous and trunk knocking.

"The Feeling I Get" is definitely on my top three list from this record. Arcitype is so talented when it comes to building up the beat and dropping his drums. I'm restarting this song even before Slaine comes into the song. We begin with synths and sweeping hi hats before these wide, resonating bass hits lead us into the verses. Slaine is just really spitting across this whole track while still giving credence to the tortured themes of this album where he raps "I struggle in violence, search the Earth for purpose/With nothing to find, this fucking design is merciless." There's an angst and struggle but similar to our previous song, he relentlessly fights back. I love the way the percussion gets more and more stripped back in the fade out as well.

Track nine was the song that really motivated me to review this album. "The Day Before I Die' encompasses all the great things about this album. There's fantastic musical momentum as the beat evolves from rumbling bass and synth leads to twittering trap percussion before my absolute favourite musical moment on the record takes this chorus by storm. Slaine wrestles with his up bringing and addictive nature and the haunting possibility of him relapsing and losing the trust of his family again. It's an amazing moment of regret and panic that in his final day he'll have to leave his family behind in the wake of his achievements as well as his failures.

We get into the third act of One Day with "Can't Stay The Same". The rest of the record sees Slaine settling into his present and this song is the start of it. Keys and chunky drums help Slaine gain perspective and pride as he lays down lyrics like "There is no teacher better than pain/The agony of loss and betrayal I consider the same." I'm also a fan of how he references his previous album before the song closes. It's a great reminder that all of his albums have been snapshots of his mental state at the time of their production. His choruses continue to be catchy as well and I especially love his line about changing the weather and being on a new plane. Clever stuff.

"One More Day" is an exciting moment as well. There's no snares to this song at all as Arcitype tasks Slaine with marching drums, synths and lush strings sections. Much like the opening to the album, the song structure is very free as Slaines delivery elevates along with each time the music picks up. Even if I'm not super fond of the double time flow he opens with, he still drops some of his best quotables of the album here. From lines like "My old records have a lots of things I wouldn't say/In my current state and I'm gonna pay." to "I have a chance to raise my son/I've been redeemed in way more ways than one." It's like the flip-side of track nine as Slaine can see what he truly wants to spend the rest of his life doing and he feels secure living it out.

After a long fade out on the previous track the record closes with "Do What You Love". It's a wonderful closer as I can say its probably the only song on here where he sticks to a positive outlook for an entire song. It's a great epilogue to the tortured elements of the albums second act. Snares and tambourines are laced together through strings and keys to bring us one last colourful score. He sets up the hook flipping the song title and Cyrus Deshield inspires on this chorus too. Slaines final verse on this song features some of my favourite writing on the album as well. A poetic ending.

Even though I'm missing a good chunk of Slaine's solo discography, I'm pretty confident this is his most focused album yet. Musically, this record is an absolute feast as Arcitype shines through on the production with layered, complex and lush instrumentation. There's variety in the snares, the beats are constantly evolving to give us amazing swells during each chorus. Slaines pen has always stood out in the context of a group album but his growth through another solo is still incredible. After an album like this it's hard to imagine another Slaine project without Arcitype involved in some capacity as they make an undeniable pair.

Pros: One Day features some of my favourite soundscapes of the year and has Slaine operating at a level of topical focus and storytelling that is nothing short of fantastic. The guests are strategically confined to a handful of tracks as Slaines pens bleeds through each song. There is the absolute minimal filler and in the modern age of twenty song albums and stream trolling I can't complain when an album knows what's essential and what isn't.

Cons: Despite this being a solid and satisfying front to back listen, there's still a handful of punches you can see coming. When the album detracts from its core narrative for a banger it surprisingly slows down. Also from my personal taste I can spot one or two tracks I can get into the habit of skipping.

Collector Reviews: Special Occasion by Merkules

Stacked with features and colourful production, there is lots to celebrate on Merkules' 2019 album Special Occasion.

After the release of 2018's Cole I was left truly stumped at where Merkules could take his next project. What Merkules was going through had really been revealed in quite an impressive and thorough way on that album. Plus, that record was matched with very accessible and, as much as I hate this word, trendy production. It was a very strong and smart release considering his accelerating status in the hip-hop world.

As it became time to announce that he was working on a new project, he told fans through his Facebook that he had been deliberately listening to 2000's era rap music, particularity from D12 and G-Unit. That had me really excited for what kind of features he'd bring to honour that era of music and also had me curious about his instrumental choices. He released his first single in September of 2019 with the album dropping on November 1st. His second American tour also launched that same week.

We're introduced to the album through "Brand New Day". Glittering synths weave their way through some twittering trap percussion. Its a great tone setter with lines like "I dropped out of school at grade ten and I ain't proud of that shit/I knew I had a bigger purpose I was outta that bitch" This song is everything an album opener should be as he conveys the celebratory theme while taking stock of his competition and appreciates the hard work he's put in over the years. There's a spoken word piece playing through that opens and closes the song but it's not really audible through the mix. It's a weird choice considering we already have a recording of a live performance that carries us into that fade out and that seemed like a tasteful enough end. There's just too many things at the end of this song fighting for a spot in the mix. It's a decent way to open up though.

We get through my least favourite song early with "On Top". The beat isn't really anything special. LordQuest produces an average synth led piece of skeletal trap percussion. Jelly Roll kicks off the song but not with the same ferocity as we heard on last years "Survival Of The Fittest". Merkules has some great double time and so does Rittz afterwards, however, the real bone I have to pick with this song is in its themes and content. These three MCs are all so unique so for the three of them to just target critics and mumble rappers makes for a tiresome song subject. The underground scene already has so many songs like this and I had higher expectations.

Most of the ingredients of track two show up on the next song but, to a better effect. "Bass" was the second promotional single and I was kind of lukewarm on it when I first heard it but I appreciate it more now. Pops produces a dense serving of fast paced and 808 driven instrumentation. This time around, however, the beat is so much more visceral and all three verses deliver. Merkules opens the track as the hi hats and synths back his first couple of bars. Then after the fourth line we're introduced to punchy kicks and drums. Tech N9ne has a great vocabulary in lines like "Don't be rapping like you on a sedative/Have some mutha fuckin rapper etiquette". Hopsins finishing couple of lines allude to his earlier horror core output as he raps about storing dead rappers in his storage unit. For a triple MC song with them all tasked with rapping their asses off and nothing else, this song is everything it needed to be.

We touch on more personal and internal struggles with the fourth song "Losin' Sleep". C-Lance continues to produce amazing music for Merkules as we're blessed with strings and piano keys over heavy snares and beautiful drum breaks. This song has a similar vibe to "Fuck The World" as Merk recounts all the people befriending him for clout and their own egos. The difference here now is our song is much more catchy and not nearly as forlorn. Merkules expressed gratitude for his parents and girlfriend while letting any snakes in his circle know that he's wise to them. And I should compliment this hook more, seriously it's one of the best ear worms on the whole album.

On the most obnoxious cuts on the whole album is with Uncle Murda on "In The Field". C-Lance has another one of my favourite scores on the record from its echoing claps to wild synths and the stripped back keys that lead us into the chorus. Murda has an absolutely savage entry with him killing his opponents and recruiting their kids into his organization. Merks hook is equally threatening with my favourite line from him being "We ain't talking pocket rockets when we tuck the burner". Though I've heard this album half a dozen times for the sake of this review, I instantly knew in the first play through that this song was going on my gym playlist. Stupid hard.

"The Code" is a fun surprise as well. Centered around the theme of snitching and street codes it's quite pertinent to the news reports of this year. I can tell this was written in the midst of the 6ix 9ine trial as Merkules lays down his position on speaking to police. I love the Tim character he builds up in the second verse and this LordQuest beat has such rapid kick drums it's as if we're hearing a snitch get beat to the sound of Merks raps.

One of my favourite tracks turned out to be "Pull Up" featuring Paul Wall. Of all the trap flavoured instrumentals on Special Occasion, this one by ENG is my favourite. The snares alternate and the tempo in this beat goes through quite a few progressions. I can enjoy trap percussion as long as its being employed in a way that isn't conventional. A lot of the instrumental motifs I loved on Cole like the 808s and electric guitars are still being employed here in a way that sounds musical and luxurious. Paul and Merk have great chemistry as both of them bring flows that are laid back but also a little cocky. Its chill you can bump this song around a fire pit or roll down the the windows and make the whole neighbourhood hear it.

"Netflix & Chill" is actually better than I thought at first listen. It's pretty much tradition for Merkules to pen a ballad about his relationship on each album but, last year I was feeling somewhat fatigued about that as a song subject. This track makes up for it by just being impeccably catchy. From LordQuests grand instrumental swell that opens the track to the quick and melodic flow that Merkules rides the beat with. That together with a hook I can't get out of my head and this might be my favourite love song of his since the one he wrote for Scars.

Another fantastic story driven song is "The Same". This brings me back to some of his earlier works like "Close To The Edge" and Merkules tells a tale of a boy and his mother each struggling through their own addictions. There's great themes across this track like the way addiction is passed down through generations as well as the responsibility Merkules feels towards his fans. The beat from C-Lance and the additional guitar leads from Aaron Hiltz guide us through a song that's not only layered in its message but, tastefully written as well.

"Trust Issues" is a solid song as well. It's probably got my second favourite beat from C-Lance & Hiltz. This beat is just all the tried and true aesthetics of a C-Lance beat with vocal chops, grand cymbal crashes and thick snares. Merkules' chorus opens the track atop string sections and keys before his verses serve us with an even blend of game and punchlines. In his verse he launches warning shots at rappers hollering at him for clout with some of my favourite punchlines of the whole record like "I spot the ops behind closed doors now I'm the locksmith." He's also got a couple of lines in this one alluding to his rising stance in the Canadian scene and I love hearing any line that reminds listeners of the talent pool and culture we have here.

The only song really competing with "In The Field" in terms of how badly it influences my affinity for speeding tickets is this next one with DMX. "Who Want What" is produced by Dame Grease who's been one of the providers of New York hardcore for over twenty years. Something I've always wished for on a Merkules album is a big ticket producer guest. I'm still consistently surprised by the team that normally backs him but hearing star power on the production side is an exciting thing too. Minor keys and impactful snares have me scowling in the first ten seconds as the DMX enters his verse shredding it off the first line. His classic growling and shouting are present as well leading into a great chorus and Merk still holds his own with great lines like "My shooters jump out of Ubers with bazookas they don't miss." It's one of those songs that you have to spin back every time. Hard as nails and well worth the wait as Merkules sat on this song for almost two years.

"On The Run" is a great track as well. Merk and Evil have numerous collaborations this decade but this one stands out for a few reasons. Number one, its structure. This isn't a basic one rappers raps and the other one goes as they both open the first half of the song singing and close te song rapping. It's similar in style to "Live This" off of Merks 2017 record but this time the recording is much more raw. Merkules and Evil do a great job of conveying emotion as their voices strain to hold notes and reach different registers and, in my opinion, the flaws in their voices move me a lot more that any reverb ever could. The beat from ENG is laid back and gets your head nodding right away to its electirc guitar leads and knocking snares too. Despite the lyrics being pretty general I think this track stands as my favourite collaboration from the two of them since "Ski Mask Way".

As we start approaching the end of the record we get the first promotional single, "All Night Long". I love the slick trap percussion and spacey guitar leads from C-Lance and Hiltz. This track does a great job of setting the tone of the record by bringing some of my favourite instrumental motifs of his last album back to a more colourful and brighter effect. Though the wordplay isn't super crazy I do think some of the albums more important lyrical moments land on this song especially the line "I know that a whole lot can change in a year/So I gotta thank God and be thankful I'm here." It's an appreciated allusion to the mental space he had to have been in last year to write some of the darker moments on Cole. Other lines about him focusing on a positive outlook and learning to block out the hate. It's a great single that kicked of the celebratory tone of this album pretty effectively.

The only other song I don't care for a whole lot is "In My Heart" for a number of reasons. Despite my love for the transparency here as Merkules spends the track delineating a cross section of his relationship with alcohol, I can't stomach the delivery he brings here. He's like half growling through all three verses while tackling this struggle from the perspective of it being a relationship. These types of songs that depict, in grave detail, the detriment alcoholism has against his life both personal and professional are getting to be just as routine as his love songs. Though, unlike "Netflix & Chill" the vocal performance is just not as tasteful this time around. Instrumentally, ENG has a beat that I can take or leave as well. The resonating bass hit are fun and the drums slap but again, it's also just slow and really over dramatic.

Closing out the album is "Time Go By" produced by C-Lance and featuring Young Buck. Despite the snares being a little thin for my taste, I still love the combination of string leads with the percussion pattern. Merkules and Buck have great chemistry especially on the fade out. I like how Merkules references Bucks previous output on his final lines while Buck alludes to his major label debut on 50's first album. Leaving us with one last banger is always a smart choice.

Merkules has always consistently made my top ten for the past couple of years but, despite that, I've always struggled to settle on which record of his is the most consistent example of what I love about him. I think with Special Occasion we finally reach that. The guitar driven trap beats I loved from last year return with an equal serving of boom bap and this record features the most solid guests on a Merkules project yet. It's like he looked at all of his catalog from this decade and took what worked the most from each album resulting in a record that is worthy of its title.

Pros: This record shines with its equal balance of trap and boom bap production. The instrumentals glow with guitars, keys and synths while Merkules delivers some of his best hooks and verses to date. The features are more than solid too from the legends like DMX and Buck to the usual suspects like Tech and Evil. I should also note that this album is easily the most consistent tonally out of Merkules' output as well

Cons: Despite his hooks and singing being catchy as usual, I think I'm finally starting to feel fatigue with Merkules vocal range. He isn't as bold or as forceful as some his contemporaries like Hopsin or Krizz Kaliko when it comes to his singing so if I had any wish list for the next album it would be to see more range from his singing. The other thing is some of the usual song subjects like romance and alcoholism are getting close to being exhausting.