It hasn’t even been 24 hours since I last reviewed a Penlordz project. Actually, the last time I spoke with the boys to send them my ‘INTRICATE DETAILS 2’ review, I said in that review at the end, ‘I guarantee this won’t be the last Penlordz review I’ll have to do this month alone,’ and then I found this in my new releases on Spotify. So let’s talk about it!
We have a sequel record from 2024, a Side B with Fam Ross and DJ Mello Rasheed. With production from Da Grand Hova and features eight new tracks with just under 20 minutes of content, with only one feature being the usual suspect, Audio Messiah.
Right off the bat with that opening track, we have what sounds like a spoken narrative by some strong preacher or someone with high authority speaking on race and ethnicity. It’s a strong way to start the album and brings a level of confidence and enthusiasm to the project going forward, and that’s where the album really starts!
The production on this thing is actually completely different than the album just 24 hours prior! Gone is that relaxing and harmonic sounds, and in are the more introspective, gritty, and expressive sounds that engineer a ‘strong-willed’ atmosphere to the record.
Across this one, the instruments themselves from the hip-hop beats, the piano keys, to the tribal instrumentation on tracks like ‘OOOHH BABY,’ all of it sounds alive, it sounds colourful and vibrant as if they are sentient beings that have the ability to come to life when being utilised or held. These boys literally breathe soul into the air and bring to tape some of the most exciting and vivid production we’ve had all year! This sounds less like an EP and more like a theatrical release right in front of my ears as I lie back, letting my imagination go wild!
When we get into Fam Ross, as just mentioned, he’s putting his ‘Rest mode’ bars to the side for the moment and reawakening his more awake and ready side of him with bars that feature more energy, intensity, and animation to his words that make him feel like he’s just taken a few energy drinks before the studio sessions!
He sounds the most lively than he has in a minute! You can hear his witty and slick bars; his braggadocios side is coming out a tad bit towards the end (which isn’t a bad thing) but a rare thing to hear from the Penlordz. I’m so used to them being the thinkers and analysis heavy MC’s so to hear them on their ‘we the best shit’ gotta admit is kind of mind-blowing! I love it.
His lyrics feature a level of grit to them, his swagger on a new dose of aura, and his flow is smooth and breezy; he ain’t here to be worried or concerned about anything or anyone; he’s just here to slap it in the face of the haters, just because he’s ‘Mr Nice Guy’. 9/10 doesn’t mean he won’t reveal that 1% and remind the game why he and the other Penlordz could take out anyone in the game if they wanted to!
Once again, another killer project. It’s insane that within 48 hours we can have two completely different sides of Fam Ross, and it’s that level of diversity that adds to their ever-growing list of achievements to keep them in the GOAT conversation!
https://open.spotify.com/album/1vtDf4FPsdWXuSUc9CED8C?si=kp7M0N8_REyl3D_Oqf1AWA
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