London Underground CD review

DJ Limelight presents: London Underground, a compilation of Uk hip hop underground artists (CD review)

Rating of the product: 3.75 stars
Most of you hip hop lovers probably have quite a good knowledge of the US hip hop scene; however the UK scene might remain veiled to most of you. DJ Limelight, a DJ from London will allow you to discover and explore the London underground scene thanks to his interesting panel of UK hip hop artists.
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Wannabe Gangsters starts on a sarcastical note. It raises an essential question: “are you wannabe commercial gangsta rappers for real?” This song is built on balalaïka sounds combined with catchy beats while Archimedes spits his venom wth confidence. Track Nr 2 is indeed aimed at all the prankstas that spoil the rap game by pretending to be somebody they are not. real hip hop will strangle wannabes with no mercy, leaving them in a lyrical blood bath.
Soft guitar sounds gently mix up with rhythmic beats and incisive rhymes, introducing the third track entitled They Swear. Mr Drastick’s nice flow is highly enjoyable. Mr Drastick intentionally targets bigmouthed emcees who pretend “to swear and keep it real”, but whose behavior on the streets doesn’t correspond to what they actually pretend to be. Fakes keep running their mouths, but they don’t run streets where credibility has its full meaning. They Swear is intelligently handled, lyrically and instrumentally.
Soft violins contrasting with rapid beats introduce Ain’t No Issue, making you feel the dramatic dimension of the song;
Mega Red will draw the listener a dark picture of ghetto life: drugs, dramatic situations, a constant run against the clock, sticky and overheated situations…
Guitar sounds, rhythmic drum sounds in the background enlighten Nang Flows: get caught in the middle of an enthusiastic and intensive lyrical storm, feel the passion of hip hop dedicated emcees whose words pour down like heavy rain, fertilizing the universe of rhyming with their widespread imagination. Feel the passion while enjoying Python’s skills.
Don’t sleep on track 7, P Freestyle, an intelligent variation of P-wordplays that beautifully enligten Stylan and Lowkey’s talent. The attentive listeners will fully enjoy the contrasts and oppositions created by the words they spit; words are made to be played with. Stylan and Lowkey are the astute architects who manage to make sense while putting their words together while electric guitar sounds and rapid beats make the listener enjoy the musical word game for his ear’s highest pleasure.
I’d also recommend you track 11, Mindstate, an interesting Archimedes- El Palaz collaborating that exposes our world’s politicians’ big lies. The song ironically features Tony Blair’s bunch of lies. Politicians are professional liars, proof are dramas like 9-11 where Bush plays as much the role of a villain as Ben Laden. A clear mind cannot believe what one sees on the TV and what is written in the newspapers. Powerful men are trying to cheat people and it is up to us to open our eyes widely and to react against such mental manipulations. No contest State Of Mind is a powerful conscience opener.
More Fire: the title summarizes it well. Frantic Frank and Krasfmen will ignite the fire and lead you into a lyrically hot track. Let the words enchant you and enflame your heart and burn with passion until they turn into ashes and resurrect like a phoenix bird. Lyrical bullets coming from our emcees mouths would barely leave hip hop heads indifferents. The melody that goes with the words has some spicy salsa accents. Stand up and dance along to the song.
Also, don’t miss track 16. Piano sounds, keyboards and drums reinforce the atmosphere of beef and struggle. Picture thug life in the hood where the youth is “NWA influenced”. Harsh financial conditions, young people who are stressed out to pay the rent,moms living on benefits, minimum wage that doesn’t allow to get what you want: all this constant frustration can make your life a living nightmare. A hopeless youth is struggling to get out of the dirt.
Other themes that are talked about on the CD are the harshness of life in the ghetto, drugs, love and keeping dreams alive.
Stylah and Lowkey’s Window Shotter song is based on a 50 Cent Window Shopper sample.
Globally, the CD is a good piece of work that will offer the listener a various panel of different artistic styles. Most of them artists did a good instrumental and lyrical effort. Curious to know more about the London underground? Put DJ Limelight’s CD on your player and listen!
Copyright2006 by Isabelle Esling
All Rights Reserved