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Lyrical Sample // Lyrical Strally

Jay Artee1 Comment

Reviewed: 07/07/2020

Rating: 7.5 // 10

Genres: Grime, UK Hip-Hop, Alt. R&B

Released: 04/07/2020

Lyrical Strally proves that he has the ability to stick it out alone on Lyrical Sample, a freshened version of grime that entertains throughout.

You might have heard of Lyrical Strally before – probably through his involvement in the group YGG, who featured on AJ Tracey‘s breakthrough project and have put out a smattering of singles and projects over the years.

Even within the trio with Saint P and PK, the MC earnt a reputation as a direct, witty rapper.

And all over this mixtape we’re treated to some hard-hitting bars and funny quips.

The opener Hold It Down is a great example of this, serving as a strong introduction to Strally’s sound. There’s these echoing voice effects that compound the angry, aggressive energy. I’m a big fan of the old-school instrumental track, and overall this is a very strong opener.

What They Say features a nice, strong chorus that the song is built around. The percussion of the beat is a lot more prominent on this track, whilst the production is tight.

Minerals Freestyle veers more towards a garage, jungle and rave vibe. It has a fast energy and is over in a flash, with the song pleasantly fading out. I particularly enjoy the adlibs for emphasis all over this, and how the beat quickens up half way through briefly.

The next track, Wilderness features a beat seemingly straight out 90s era Nintendo games, with some interesting horn-esque synths. Whilst slightly repetitive, especially at the start, I do really enjoy the vibe and feeling of this track.

Giving It All That is definitely my favourite track, with Lyrical Strally spitting over a Wiley beat. It’s a very unique instrumental that again seems to draw from computerised sounds, and to me, sounds like a hyperpop sound that would serve the basis of a Charli XCX track.

Again it is rigidly structured, but the way the song builds up around the chorus is fantastic. The switch up after the introduction is class, and refreshes the track.

With this being a mixtape, there is less cohesion and connection between songs. That opens the door for more experimentation, which certainly comes across on Never Know. It definitely belongs closer to R&B driven hip-hop. It is probably the most repetitive song on the tracklist, however it is a decent take of a slower track.

If there’s any place to explore and develop new sounds a mixtape is the perfect place to do so. This trend of slower, more R&B styled tracks, continues til the end of the tape.

Spoon/Alakazam is more on the light hearted side, with some funny and actually quite clever wordplay regarding the ability of the Pokémon Alakazam. However the punchline is repeated numerous times, yet I can’t really be mad at the song.

Halfheart is probably the most laidback and personal track, but it is done very well. I can see why the back end of the track listing features more and more R&B, as Strally shows promise within the sound.

The closing track Sky Is The Limit features that similar personal, chilled vibe and is executed just as well. The rattling snares towards the midpoint of the track are a nice touch.

On balance I feel that Strally shows that he is accomplished and well polished when it comes to spitting over grime beats, but that he also shows talent and potential when leaning towards more mainstream, R&B.

One of my favourite grime and UK hip-hop projects of the year, and well worth a listen.

Track Listing

  • Hold It Down (A-)
  • What They Want (B+)
  • Minerals Freestyle (B+)
  • Wilderness (A-)
  • Giving It All That (A)
  • Never Know (B-)
  • Spoon / Alakazam (B+)
  • Halfheart (B)
  • Sky Is The Limit (B-)

Women in Music Pt. III // HAIM

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Reviewed: 05/07/20

Rating: 7 // 10

Genres: Pop-Rock, Indie-Rock

Released: 26/06/2020, Columbia

HAIM returns with their signature sound of polished pop-flavoured Indie-Rock, offering a solid track listing without reinventing themselves or the genre.

Sister trio HAIM have added to their strong back catalogue of albums with Women in Music Pt. III, their longest project yet.

Whilst this project didn’t quite blow me away, it certainly is a pleasant experience that doesn’t drag on too long – even though it does end up nearing that territory.

The opening leg of the project is definitely the strongest, with the opener Los Angeles featuring a bouncy kick-drum that the carefree track is built upon.

Here at the beginning are the poppier cuts, including the single The Steps. Upbeat yet about a serious topic manner, a relationship where a partner has pretty much given up, it is fairly simple, but features some neat production choices such as the very slight manipulation of the vocals at times.

I Know Alone diverts the album towards a song featuring an ever so slightly drum & bass-esque backing track, yet keeps acoustic elements. Perhaps I’m not doing the best job of describing it, but the more apparent voice manipulation and electronic elements really separates it from everything else on here.

It’s the subtle sound effects and production techniques that add up overall, keeping rather stripped-back indie interesting with more computerised sounds. Up From a Dream returns to a far more “traditional” sound, but during the break down we enter some washed out, sci-fi styled whooshes that really add to the experience.

That is appreciated because this is a very repetitive song thanks to an overused chorus.

My favourite moment is probably the chorus of Gasoline, a gorgeous song that has an emotive bassline tucked in behind the pianos and keys. The drums to me constantly feel detached from the melodies, but not in an obtrusive way – they’re repetitive and reliable, constantly there without much change up.

This also features my favourite harmonies and vocal performances.

We again divert from strict indie-rock as we drift towards the R&B influenced 3AM, which is another personal highlight.

Don’t Wanna, the last released single, is arguably the plainest out of the six songs previewed before the album’s release.

Following from that track is the far more unique Another Try, with a far more creative mix of instruments and sound effects. More disco and dance driven than any other track, especially during the verses, it does stand out on the tracklisting.

More indie and even folk sounds are woven into Leaning On You, a sign of the final few song on here.

They’re all solid songs that don’t break the mould, but definitely leaning more towards filler. All That Ever Mattered has a more spacious and softer-pop feel to it, but apart from that the final tracks are fairly straight-played.

Right at the end is the bizarre addition of the three singles from 2019 added in as bonus tracks. It isn’t a startling change – they fit the theme of the album, but it isn’t possible to listen to the album without them on streaming services.

I haven’t got a huge list of complaints for this record – whilst it comes across as safe in parts it never screams boring to me at all, and never was it anything less than a pleasant listen. However, in terms of progression from their previous albums, there isn’t the clearest of improvements or reinvention.

Track Listing

  • Los Angeles (B+)
  • The Steps (B+)
  • I Know Alone (A-)
  • Up From A Dream (B+)
  • Gasoline (A+)
  • 3AM (A)
  • Don’t Wanna (B)
  • Another Try (B+)
  • Leaning On You (B)
  • I’ve Been Down (B)
  • Man from the Magazine (B)
  • All That Ever Mattered (B)
  • FUBT (B-)
  • Now I’m In It (B)
  • Hallelujah (B-)
  • Summer Girl (B)

KiCk i // Arca

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Reviewed: 03/07/2020

Rating: 6.5 // 10

Genres: Art-Pop, Glitch-Pop/Hop, EDM, Deconstructed Club

Released: 26/06/20, XL

Arca kicks boxes into touch with this bizarre manipulation of sounds and genres, subverting the subversion of expectations in new ways.

Apparently the first in a trilogy – or a four-parter – this album jumps between genres like no one’s business. And that’s effectively what this project is – no one’s business part from Arca herself.

Fluidity is a key concept behind Arca – as part of her self-identity, but also her music and language. Venezuelan and living in Barcelona yet working in an English-speaking world, we switch between languages like you would do in a bilingual home.

The harsh, electronic sounds of glitch hop and pop meet the stripped back sounds of deconstructed club, whilst things are made even weirder with psychedelic and EDM elements chucked into the mix.

Compared to her more abrasive, computerised sound driven projects, this is Arca’s poppiest album yet – if pop is still a concept in her view of the world.

The opening four tracks flash past at breakneck speed, setting the pace and habits for the rest of the record. The opener Nonbinary boasts a slow rapped verse that is sped up for impact when it calls for it.

It has an unnerving energy to it, thanks to the weird percussion and Arca’s closeness to the microphone. It’s influenced further by layered vocals. The beat picks up when it wants to, with mechanical, industrial clashing of metal in the background.

The song eventually melts its conclusion, with a harrowing giggle to match the slightly off, high pitched notes in the background.

EDM vibes are at their strongest with Time, which is a largely forgettable track that also boasts aspects of Deconstructed Club.

Mequetrefe is our first proper dosage of Spanish on the track, with more glitchy production and vocals on top of another rapidly changing beat. It has this feel of energy that can’t be contained or controlled, coming out in spurts at random times.

The opening track certainly has the most cohesive feeling to it – barely, as hardly anything on this feels connected. But that comes across as by design on Riquiquí , which switches between the two languages.

It shares the gunfire effects from the opener and the frequently changing beat of Mequetrefe, placing it towards glitch-pop and industrial pop.

We get slightly more ethereal with Calor, which also features in the background similar industrial sounds, but placed onto the back burner. The synths that carry us out are again semi-eerie.

Björk, who employed Arca as a producer on some of her previous work, lends Spanish, or at least and Icelandic interpretation of the language, to the track Afterwards. It is more spacious, and again to borrow the term, ethereal in scope. It ends in a warbling, washed out sound.

The collaborations continue on Watch, as Shygirl joins for a song firmly in the genre of Deconstructed Club. The buzzing synths and sound effects create a computerised cacophony of sound, that eventually whirs together into a more cohesive sounding track.

There’s a lot going on here, and whilst I enjoy the instrumentals, they swallow up Shygirl completely to the point where she is simply background noise.

However, that balance isn’t an issue on the track list’s highlight, KLK, where fellow Barcelona resident ROSALÍA joins in to lay down some lovely vocals. It’s a lot more conventional than other tracks on here, replicating more club bangers in its structure. That’s not to say it isn’t experimental – it again uses gunfire and mechanical sounds, of which are slowly becoming predictable and annoying.

Rip the Slit has some interesting lyrical imagery, to say the last. I do enjoy the manipulated vocals that bring us into the track, drawing from hyperpop. It’s very repetitive chorus is clearly designed to be the backbone of the song, and it does create a strong track.

Artpop princess SOPHIE joins on La Chíqui, which doesn’t really blow me away in truth. There are elements towards the tailend of the track to make it interesting, but it does seem a bit derivative at times.

Machote comes to life with some strings, a new element amongst the chaos. It has this shimmering effect at the beginning as well, which I am not a huge fan of. In fact, the last two tracks don’t really offer anything new to me and aren’t worth much discussion.

I really wanted to like this project more than I did, but overall it didn’t quite live up to the hype in my head. That being said it wasn’t a total waste of my time, and I eagerly anticipate further instalments if they are an improvement upon this solid base.

Track Listing

  • Nonbinary (B+)
  • Time (C)
  • Mequetrefe (B)
  • Riquiquí (B)
  • Calor (B)
  • Afterwards (B)
  • Watch (C)
  • KLK (B+)
  • Rip the Slit (B)
  • La Chíqui (B)
  • Machote (C)
  • No Queda Nada (C+)

How Can I // 박 혜진 [Park Hye Jin]

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Reviewed: 03/07/2020

Rating: 7 // 10

Genres: Deep House

Released: 26/06/20, Ninja Tune

박 혜진 Park Hye Jin returns with her second EP, another strong showing of Deep House that is just fun to vibe and chill with.

South Korean artist Park Hye Jin may have taken two years since her debut EP to release her latest project, but there are clear signs of improvement and development from the rapper, producer and musician.

This is a generally cohesive project that starts off with energy thanks to the tracks Like This and Can you. Like This has the soft cascading of a glockenspiel worked into the dreamy landscape of the song, with echoing sound effects creating a dream-like status.

The percussion sweeps us firmly into the stylings of the genre, whilst retaining that spacious and calming vibe.

Can you is similarly spacious in sound and feel, but has a more repetitive vocal to serve as the backbone of the song. It certainly has the most club-hit feel to it, but again there’s that floating feeling to the general sound of the track.

Throughout the switching between Korean and English is done seamlessly and without fuss, with the two languages effectively used as tools, catered to the music.

The titular track adds a more rigid hip-hop-esque beat to another roomy instrumental, with the lyrics delivered in a drone-like state.

NO completely diverts from the cohesive sound the opening trio of tracks fostered, with layers of different percussion at the start. The genre of house is hidden behind the layers of repetition, which dominate even after the softly-spoken vocals kick in almost a quarter of the way through the song.

It borders on monotonous, but the subtle changes throughout keep it just fresh enough.

How Come incorporates some of those similar percussion instruments, slowly layering them and upping the tempo in a more directed effort.

The closing track Beautiful has a slight elevator-music vibe to it, with washed-out vocals and gentle, calming instruments starting off in the background.

Towards the end of the project I kinda get the impression of ideas being stretched beyond their natural conclusion, but overall I haven’t got any major complaints of it being drawn out too long. The back half of the EP does rely on the instrumentals far more than the opening three tracks, and whilst I would have liked to have heard more vocals or samples, it comes with the territory of the genre.

Overall well worth 20 minutes of your time.

Track Listing

  • Like This (B+)
  • Can You (B)
  • How Can I (B+)
  • NO (B+)
  • How Come (B)
  • Beautiful (C+)

Flight Tower // Dirty Projectors

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Reviewed: 03/07/2020

Rating: 0.6 // 10

Genres: Art-Pop, Alt. R&B

Released: 25/06/20, Domino

Dirty Projectors continue their 5 EP project with a simple selection of songs closer to their roots, which don’t exactly command the same respect of their earlier work.

Coming in at just 10 minutes, this EP is over in a flash – and whilst I enjoyed my time within the sonic world created, I wasn’t chomping at the bit to replay it over and over.

With the advantage of shorter, simpler songs, this entire tracklist has a united feeling to it, but this is also the detriment to the overall sound of the project, as ideas seemingly become repeated.

The opening tracks Inner World and Lose Your Love are the biggest victims of the homogenous styles, with a samey idiophone-sounding instrument linking the songs together.

However they are by no means bad songs, just very similar. There a subtle differences – Inner World carries over aspects of folk from the first EP of the year, but overall these songs could have been merged into one – and with the passing of time, do become one when I try and recall aspects of them.

Self Design does switch things up again, and is for me the standout moment of the project. However, the lyrics are safe and forgettable, a hallmark of the project. The vocals are lovely and fit in well, but I can’t recall any interesting words or phrases.

On the closing track Empty Vessel the sound is stripped back even further, with slight elements of glitch-pop in the manipulation of the multiple vocal layers. However, it does come across as a half-hearted attempt. However, just like the similarities between the first two tracks, there are elements here that link it closely to Self Design.

It seems to be that there are two pairs of connected songs that don’t link up as a quartet.

Overall there are ideas here that I wish were explored further, even within the boundaries of an EP of 20 minutes rather than 10. With the change in direction from their first EP of the year, I don’t think we’ll get a further glimpse into this sound of any other EP.

Track Listing

  • Inner World (B)
  • Lose Your Love (B)
  • Self Design (B+)
  • Empty Vessel (B-)

6pc Hot EP // 6LACK

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Reviewed: 03/07/2020

Rating: 5.5 // 10

Genres: Alt. R&B, Pop-Rap, Trap Rap

Released: 26/06/20, Interscope

6LACK gives us a weak offering consisting of dropped tracks and leaks, highlighting a trend towards trap-rap from one of Alternative R&B’s rising stars.

To pretend 6LACK hasn’t dabbled with the sound of trap before would be denying history – a brief glance down the feature list of East Atlanta Love Letter from 2018 tells us otherwise by sight alone. Future, Offset, and even J Cole, all established in the sound.

But there were enough attempts and ideas to keep the sound at bay, and avoid it overwhelming everything else on the tracklist.

Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for 6pc Hot. The opening track of ATL Freestyle, a song we already had heard before, leans more towards R&B than strictly hip-hop, but already we can hear the overuse of autotune and manipulation over the Atlanta native’s vocals.

It sort of ends without an impression, whilst beginning the downward trend of reliance on autotune.

I was relatively intrigued by 6LACK’s last LP, but to me this feels like the weakest aspects of that record has been explored on this EP.

Long Nights is another song that isn’t repulsively awful, just disappointing compared to 6LACK’s admittedly short back catalogue.

It does feed into the general feeling of moody reminiscence, but there aren’t any super interesting lyrical ideas, or indeed any moments at all that really catch me. I’ll give it points for how it flows into Float, which is a slight improvement in itself.

It is the best track on the album by far, but isn’t saying much. It strips back the hi hats and snare pattern and follows more R&B stylings.

The song has a far more interesting concept that is more tightly followed, and the switch up on delivery is interesting.

But we’re straight back into the formula for Know My Rights, which features the albums only guest artist, Lil Baby. I haven’t really got anything to say about this track, it is basic, simple, and over quickly.

Elephant In The Room again occupies that gap of trap influenced R&B, without really breaking the mould. It’s an okay track.

The final track Outside is an interesting take on being separated from a loved one during quarantine. The lyrics are subtle and not on the nose like seemingly every other track written during this timeframe, which I do appreciate.

It sounds the most personal and has the feel of intimacy, and best of all, there isn’t a hi-hat and snare pattern in sight.

Unfortunately this is a downgrade on his previous LP, and if it is a precursor to his third full length project, I have my concerns about the direction of it. However, there is still potential here, and I hope that 6LACK can find some new spark to drive his future music.

Track Listing

  • ATL Freestyle (C)
  • Long Nights (C-)
  • Float (C+)
  • Know My Rights (D+)
  • Elephant In The Room (C)
  • Outside (C)

Wicked City // Jockstrap

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Reviewed: 03/07/20

Rating: 7.5 // 10

Genres: Glitch-pop, Art-Pop

Released: 19/06/20, Warp Records

Jockstrap return with their Warp Records debut, another showing of their art and potential in the experimental space.

Yet to release a full length LP, the duo’s second EP has cemented them as up and coming in the musical world’s more experimental and abstract fringes.

Despite only being five tracks long this EP really showcases some interesting concepts and ideas, coupled with crisp production and a big name feature in the name of Injury Reserve.

The opening track Robert is quite chilling in its delivery at the start, matched with a constantly changing background of sounds and instruments. The manipulation over Injury Reserve’s flow adds to the computerised, glitchy soundscape of the track.

This EP traverses multiple genres and sounds, sometimes in one song, a prime example of which is Robert. It is quite unsettling at times, what with its rampant energy changes.

Acid starts off with the luscious strings and vocals of a Neo-soul pop hit, but already there is something off thanks to the production. Not quite as grating and whiplash inducing as the previous track, it does slowly grow in complexity towards the end of the track.

Yellow In Green is similarly more rooted in conventional art-pop, with the soft vocals of lead singer Georgia Ellery over simple piano that slowly becomes more electronic driven as the song progresses.

In fact, apart from a few teasing elements, we don’t truly get the full force of glitch-pop again until halfway through The City, which again starts with that Neo-soul-esque, traditional vocals.

However, that quickly diverts from the piano driven sound to the non-sensical lyrics with sound effects and backing track to match.

City Hell remains firmly in an experimental mindset, with pitched up vocals and similarly wacky lyrics that add to this fever dream-like experience. The song is the longest by far on this – clocking in at five and half minutes, over a quarter of the EP – but it never feels stagnant or dragging beyond its lifespan.

That’s thanks to the constant upheaval of instruments in the background – be it the space opera like organ synths, or the electronic guitar riffs that fade in and out throughout the track.

Whilst I don’t doubt that the inclusion of Injury Reserve was a bid to hype up the band, I’d argue it wasn’t exactly needed as I am genuinely awaiting a full length-project from the London-formed duo.

If you want a quick but different listen, then this is really worth your time.

Track Listing

  • Robert (A)
  • Acid (B+)
  • Yellow In Green (B)
  • The City (A-)
  • City Hell (A)

What’s Your Pleasure? // Jessie Ware

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Reviewed: 02/07/2020

Rating: 0.7 // 10

Genres: Disco-Pop

Released: 26/06/2020

Jessie Ware returns with her most well rounded and mature project yet, recreating 80s disco within a modern viewpoint, filled with bops and grooves.

After four LPs across almost a decade of music, Jessie Ware arguably hasn’t got a bad full length album to her name. Whilst her second and third albums didn’t quite capture critics in the same way her debut, Devotion did, they certainly didn’t get torn to pieces in the columns and paragraphs of reviews.

Whilst I’ve yet to be truly blown away by a Ware project, I did enjoy her previous work. However, What’s Your Pleasure truly is an improvement, and maybe even her best work yet.

I can’t get past the term mature to describe this project – everything is well measured, meticulously placed into their proper slot, well-crafted by an experienced ear and hand. Even though it has obvious inspirations from 80s disco, it never feels like a copy, or forced into the music.

The opener, Spotlight, is a prime example of this. The strings that lead us into the song create a soft yet serious approach to the genre, and whilst things certainly loosen up, it has this up-tight (in a good way) feel to it.

On the titular track What’s Your Pleasure, we are greeted with an almost brooding, moody singing style, with very retro synths cascading in the background. Much more of a pop song, the chorus is sung sensually and close, creating a lovely feel to the track.

We get a little bit funky on Ooh La La, with a luscious bassline opening the track. With futuristic laser sound effects mixed with the sounds of traffic, the sonic landscape of this track is vast and quirky, matching the semi-robotic delivery from Ware.

Things get even more electronic and house-like with Soul Control, with the energy slowly creeping higher and higher the deeper we get into the track-list.

Save A Kiss remains in that gap between house and disco, incorporating the largely forgotten sound of Italo disco.

Around here at the midpoint of the album, things begin to stagnate slightly. The energy drops off before fluctuating wildly between songs, especially tracks such as Step Into My Life and Read My Lips.

It creates an incohesive feeling, but it doesn’t entirely derail the album. However, comparing to the bop-heavy opening section, the last leg of the album is quite forgettable.

One of the few highlights is the last track, Remember Where You Are, which does put the listener in a more ethereal soundscape compared to the rest of the album.

All things considered this is a fun project that is finely linked. The lyricism isn’t as strong as contemporaries in the pop world, however they are never noticeably bad, nor stand-out.

A pleasant listen, and a project that I can see holding up very well in the future.

Track Listing

  • Spotlight (B)
  • What’s Your Pleasure (B+)
  • Ooh La La (A)
  • Soul Control (B)
  • Save A Kiss (B)
  • Adore You (C+)
  • In Your Eyes (B)
  • Step Into My Life (B+)
  • Mirage (Don’t Stop) (C)
  • The Kill (C+)
  • Remember Where You Are (C)

Check out this new review of Jessie Ware’s What’s Your Pleasure!

TRANSLATION // Black Eyed Peas

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Reviewed: 29/06/20

Rating: 3.5 // 10

Genres: Reggaeton, Pop-Rap

Released: 19/06/20, Epic

Black Eyed Peas’ previous success does not translate to a wildly new genre, with the novelty wearing off quickly, leaving the Peas clinging onto features as life support.

Hey, do you remember Despacito? That was a pretty big hit. A very big hit. Almost as if reggaeton could translate well to an American audience….

Test the theory with a single of our own, RIT MO. Play it slightly safe, with a sample from a retro disco hit. Let the nostalgia carry it, and hopefully the first leg of the album.

To be fair, the opening portion of this is somewhat bearable. But then, the creativity dries up, WILL.I.AM runs out of Spanish nouns he learnt from his travel guide, and this slowly morphs into a blur of pop-rap and reggaeton beats.

The songs flow nicely into each other, largely because they’re all based on the same RPM and rough beat inspiration.

Okay, claiming that this is just a cash grab would be harsh – apparently the Shakira feature comes from her She-Wolf era, so it was in the works a while ago.

But by the time we’ve reached VIDA LOCA, which ruins MC Hammer’s Can’t Touch This (and Rick James’ Super Freak), my goodwill runs out. It also sort of retroactively ruins the sampling earlier on, mainly because he reveals how gimmicky every aspect of this album is.

After the opening tracks the album becomes a slog to even have on in the background, with all the songs merging into what the soundtrack to a night out in a club if you were 10 rum and cokes down.

Unfortunately during all my listens to this I was stone cold sober, and the loud, obnoxious yet monotonous beats are somehow obscured by even louder autotuned vocals from guests such as French Montana.

To go and analyse each individual songs would be equivalent to writing lines in detention – a punishment that involves me writing the same thing again and again.

The lyrics switch between English and Spanish whenever a rhyme is needed, and as stated before, WILL.I.AM certainly isn’t fluent in Español, to copy their tactic.

It comes across as tacky and lazy, as almost there is a quota of how much English and Spanish buzzwords a song should have.

As is style for the Black Eyed Peas, the ending of the tracklist is reserved for the tracks that don’t quite fit and offer us social commentary.

Up steps WILL.I.AM for his acoustic guitar led solo (on a highly electronic beat driven album) to tell us about Coronavirus.

Somehow the autotuned yet still tone-deaf lyrics doesn’t cure the planet of the pandemic. Odd.

On balance, this probably shouldn’t have existed beyond one or two singles. I was pleased with their last “experimental” effort in 2018, Masters of the Sun Vol1, and I think the addition of J. Rey Soul helps with the reliance on a female feature to break up a song and track list.

Luckily she’s a Spanish speaker, and for some reason she is credited as a solo-artist on this, despite being involved on the last project? Just more confusion on top of the mess this album already is.

And no, WILL.I.AM. No matter how many times you say the word, this is certainly not “Fuego.”

Track Listing

  • RITMO (B)
  • FEEL THE BEAT (C)
  • MAMACITA (C-)
  • GIRL LIKE ME (C-)
  • VIDA LOCA (F)
  • NO MAÑANA (D)
  • TONTA LOVE (E)
  • CELEBRATE (D)
  • TODO BUENO (D)
  • DURO HARD (E)
  • MABUTI (E)
  • I WOKE UP (E)
  • GET LOOSE NOW (D)
  • ACTION (D)
  • NEWS TODAY (E)

Run The Jewels 4 // Run The Jewels

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Reviewed: 15/06/2020

Rating: 8.5 // 10

Genres: Experimental Hip-Hop, Hardcore Hip-Hop

Released: 03/06/2020, Jewel Runners

Run The Jewels took the longest time yet between albums, crafting a statement – musically and politically, landing at a time where the world needs to listen more than ever.

Context is everything. When the wheels started turning for this project, neither Killer Mike or El-P could have predicted the landscape of the world this album would be birthed into. Does the recent calls against injustice that led to worldwide riots make this album’s message stronger, make this a better album?

Perhaps, but in the reality we live in this is the only version of events that we can consume this album within. World context is impossible to separate from music – it influences the lyrics, mood, so many variables both consciously and unconsciously.

It is impossible to listen to this album and not think about the world around it. Maybe if it came out at another time, my – and others’ – feelings would be different.

What truly saddens me is that these words applied before the flashpoint of George Floyd, and seemingly will apply further into an increasingly dystopian looking future.

Even if this album came out before the mass protesting, its lyrics and message would remain the same.

It is heartbreaking to think that when Killer Mike states the timely phrase “I can’t breathe” on walking in the snow, seemingly in reference to Floyd, it was actually recorded six months prior, inspired by the similar murder of Eric Garner, showing how common an occurrence this is.

The track that follows walking in the snow, JU$T, also scarily predicts the murder of Floyd, again referring to Garner’s killing with El-P‘s line:

“Where murderous chokehold cops still earnin’ a livin’
Funny how some say money don’t matter
That’s rich now, isn’t it? Get it? Comedy
Try to sell a pack of smokes to get food
Get killed and it’s not an anomaly“

Whilst this album is direct with its political content, it also isn’t beating a dead horse, analysing many parts of a broken system. It narrows in on the impact of money and capitalist systems, the role of the media in perpetuating racism, as well as discussing enviomental issues.

This is almost a manifesto in terms of the wide range of topics chosen to vent about, and whilst this album flashes past you in an instant, with just 39 minutes, it leaves a lasting impression.

The energy is high throughout, beginning with the lead single and opening track yankee and the brave (ep.4). Killer Mike gets us underway with his lyrical miracle boom-bap style laced with aggression and passion, and to his credit, El-P matches that energy and skill, creating a back and forth energy that really sets the tone.

ooh la la hosts a repetitive chorus that adds to the monotony of the beat, creating a perfect base for the duo and guests Greg Nice and DJ Premier to have fun on.

Over the project the multiple features only add to the experience, and never dominate a song. 2 Chainz joins on out of sight, another light-hearted beat that boasts hard hitting bars.

holy calamafuck features a very prominent beat switch halfway through, with the pair at their most braggadocious. Both sections of the song have a reduced, more measured feel to them, but the aggression behind the delivery is still there.

In terms of personal favourites, goonies vs. E.T. is certainly up there, with a dark and brooding atmosphere from the get go thanks to the pitched down vocals and ominous synth bassline.

There are no bad songs on this project, with other other highlights including the aforementioned walking in the snow and JU$T.

Technically, the quality of production is brilliant from El-P, who also seems to have improved vastly in terms of his flow and delivery. Killer Mike, well, kills it, but I would say his lyricism is a lot more pointed and effective than before.

The sound and feel of this is consistent with the three albums that came before it, and to suggest that this is a vast improvement would be harsh on the first three albums. Make no mistake – this is their best work together yet, but it isn’t millions of miles away from their debut.

Yes, they might not have innovated or evolved much, but have instead focused on polishing, refining their combined sound, all of which comes to a point on this record.

Truly a must-listen no matter your music tastes.

As always, Black Lives Matter. This website relies on the work, passion and artistry of Black people to create music, and whilst gratitude isn’t sufficient, we must speak up on their behalf if they are being silenced. Please check this link out for further information and resources: https://blacklivesmatter.com/resources/

Track Listing

  • yankee and the brave (ep.4) (B)
  • ooh la la (B+)
  • out of sight (A-)
  • holy calamafuck (A-)
  • goonies vs. E.T. (A-)
  • walking in the snow (A*)
  • JU$T (A+)
  • never look back (B+)
  • the ground below (A-)
  • pulling the pin (B+)
  • a few words for the firing squad (radiation) (A)