(Kill Writers Block)

Ironically, this album actually killed mine. I was stuck for the last 24 hours, no inspiration to write anything, then I had two separate people recommend this album, so after giving it a chance today, I can safely say, it blew me away! Let’s talk about it!

This is the blockbuster new drop by two of the dopest MC’s in the game, period. We have MC’s Artisin and REKS. Both men who have helped shape the underground as we know it today, and when they come together, they are on a mission to reshape the industry once again!

They come accompanied by producers 

-Artisin

-ShortFyuz 

-TapeGhost

And features such as

-Estee Nack

-Ea$y Money

-Hectic

-Termanology 

-Superstah Snuk

-DJ Deadeye

-Queen Philosophical

 

I just love how right from the start with the opening title track, we have the example of what they mean by ‘Kill Writers Block’ with a track featuring nothing but four minutes of straight back-and-forth verses, bars, and some of the most incredible wordplay you’ve heard all year!

These two ain’t playing. Throughout the whole album, that’s all they concern themselves with. While the production is incredible (and we will discuss that further down), it really feels like they are purposely prioritising lyricism and spitting over the quality of production. 

This album is very no-nonsense, it’s built to be a showcase of bars between two legends, to show the rest of the industry how it’s meant to be done. REKS and Artisin don’t take any shortcuts, don’t do any trend shit or fake shit. It’s literally just them and their god-tier flow, vocabulary, storytelling, incredible writing, and wordplay.

I also loved how they decided to make track two the song ft someone who is quite possibly the new king of the underground right now. Estee Nack and this trio absolutely destroyed the beat and further pushed the agenda of superior pen game.

I knew when it was these two on the field that it would be a landslide, but I never expected this. These performances just prove if you’re in the hip-hop game, you don’t have to bother with all that ‘extra’ shit if you want to make a dope record. If you can show the culture and your contemporaries that you’re one of the dopest on the mic and that you’re natural, organic, and authentic, you will gain respect, and that’s exactly what the world has done after listening to this one. Show nothing but RESPECT!

Although I do feel the production wasn’t as important as the bars, it doesn’t mean the sounds don’t go hard as fuck! What you’ll experience here are a combination of grand old school Boom Bap and skeletal and raw instrumentation that helps emphasise the verses of the MC’s on the album!

For example, we have the track ‘Super Powers’ which has that incredible intro featuring the original DBZ Broly movie (the superior one, by the way, fuck Super Broly), but regardless, after that badass intro, we have these orchestral strings that sound like a live band is in the studio with them! Accompanied by a real minimal drum pattern to let those strings take centre stage and turn this track into a cinematic offering!

We can even talk about the track ‘Young Homies’ which has a very different sonic texture than the one previous. Which starts off with this interlude that’s almost ‘folk’ inspired with those gorgeous chords. 

After that, spoken word snippets, we have a beat switch into this fast-paced track with melodic synth chords, that phase in and out in a more hypnotic pattern followed by a more in-your-face drum loop than the previous track! It’s very stripped back but at the same time, a more intense and atmospheric track than any other on the album!

I love how although most tracks are bare-boned, the producers make sure to have every song crisp, memorable, and above all, quality-checked! 

This is truly a record for the ages! From the creative and aesthetically pleasing production to the flawless verses by the duo and company! This is an MC’s favourite MC’s favourite record! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/4T4fouxLCUuzAX6YK2zdeQ?si=07_A7jWfQdyqA8gFpPw3Dw