Going from an unknown artist to a most anticipated album release based on one single has to be the fastest I’ve jumped on a rapper bandwagon in recent memory, but the album is finally here, so let’s talk about it!
This is the latest studio member by ‘Feed The Family’ member TOP HOOTER, and the production is handled by legendary producer MichaelAngelo, who has already worked on one of my favourite records this year with CRIMEAPPLE and Primo Profit with ‘ESCAMA’, but he’s back to capture lightning in the bottle twice!
Across this project, you have a list of who’s who including
-OT The Real
-Borirock
-Estee Nack
-Mickey Diamond
-Shaykh Hanif
On top of the other ‘FEED THE FAMILY’ members, you have easily some of the greatest underground rappers ever, so you can already tell this one is going to be D.O.P.E.
Starting with MichaelAngelo, once again, he’s bringing his Masterclass of technique, samples, vibe, and creativity!
He’s the kind of artist who understands what sound suits which rapper and how to utilise the sounds accordingly!
On this project, he’s bringing beats that are raw, crisp, atmospheric, cold, and even theatrical at times with the use of ‘larger than life’ instrumentation on certain songs.
Like the track ‘No Crowns’, featuring the combination of that subtle vocal loop and those folk-inspired strings on repeat with that violin synth sound to give it that cinematic vibe!
Or the track ‘Look For The Crook’, with that ambient, drone sound with that crowd/gang mentality in the background as if there’s 100 people standing in the studio during this track. Reminds me of the early Wu Tang Clan would do. Of course, to have Estee Nack be on this one makes so much sense due to his ruthless, cold-hearted nature!
My point being, Michael makes sure each track is perfectly balanced and crafted for the person. He’s one of the best going, and it’s no mistake that he’s made two ‘album of the year contenders’ already.
Now, onto the newcomer (for me anyway) TOP HOOTER. The man who’s been making waves across my social media and now after listening to that single and this album I see why. His confident style is infectious.
He has pinpoint accuracy with this flow, wordplay, and penmanship. No matter who he’s on the track with, he maintains his status and reminds us all that he’s the man on this project.
A lot of times you can hear a feature track where the album rapper gets cold feet compared to the one he’s on the song with and gets washed up.
But on this record, he’s always solid. Sound and collected, raw, crisp, and never wavered! A solid MC.
I absolutely loved this record! Whether you’re talking about the immaculate production or the quality features or the terrific performance by Top, this album has everything going forward, and I just know it will be on everyone’s tongue in 2025, including the serpent tongue!
https://open.spotify.com/album/2mk4kXQpsrAaYoje7jKqp9?si=06AkyJ3hTfmIeSTJT_S7KQ
The Serpent Tongue Reviews 