Another opportunity to discuss a dope underground duo! Two men I’ve never heard of until this point, but after this project, two who are bound to be on my radar from now on!
Døøf & ESCEE are two MC’s who come together for a new 9-track project entirely produced by the legendary August Fanon, a man who I’ve become very familiar with as of late, thanks to the privilege of covering more than a handful of projects he’s worked on. He’s back on this to prove more creative, consistent, and exciting beats!
Unlike his other projects like ‘Trauma Center,’ this is a lot smoother and groovy in comparison. Of course, the above-mentioned projects were purposefully dark and gritty, but on this one, we experience his ‘let loose’ work with fun tracks like ‘PGA Tour’ with a Caribbean/Latino flavour instrumental or the track ‘Camelot’ which sounds like a mix between a G-funk rhythm and a club pop song rolled into one!
Hell, the song ‘Word I Say’ with its soulful flavour and vocal melody sounds like something you’d hear on those 80’s jukeboxes that you’d pay a penny to play to dance with your crush!
The point I’m trying to make is once again, August showcases his damn near unrivalled diversity and range behind the production. At this point, I’m expecting every project he works on to be a sound I haven’t heard before, and once again, he hits a home run with this one!
On to the rapping, the duo behind the mics have a fantastic collaboration and chemistry between them that suits the soundscape to a tee. They have a raw yet passionately spoken voice between them that makes for crisp bars, penmanship, and lyricism. Similar to the chemistry of a group like ‘Mobb Deep,’ who didn’t do anything flashy with their vocal work, just straight, dope, and gritty verses, I feel the same energy between these two!
No features to speak of, just the duo handling the 9 tracks alone and proving they don’t need any supporting acts to help them create and, more importantly, maintain a solid record.
The Verdict? A solo showing by the trio involved. Whether it’s the production or the rhyming, each aspect was done fantastically, and I can’t wait to see what all 3 do next in their careers!
https://safdoofus.bandcamp.com/album/d-f-escee-2-produced-by-august-fanon
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