What a delightful time it is right now! A brand new EP by one of my favourite new artists in the game! This man has changed the way I look at hip hop and has crafted a lane for himself that not only is unique but also fun and a refreshing take on the current landscape of rap! So let’s talk about it!
This is the brand new 4-track EP by MC and Producer Sabio Dub AKA Mr ‘Sunshine Rap’, the man who is bringing back the fun, loving, and passionate aspects of hip hop in its most pure and groovy forms!
Across this one, he presents to us 8 minutes of delight, and although we still have the same mellow and relaxing energy, this one does feel a lot different than the rest!
Why? Well, instead of his usual jazz/reggae-toned ‘Sunshine Rap’ filled with happiness and positivity, instead, I feel he went for a more ambient, ASMR, atmospheric, damn near ‘theatrical’ side with a more ‘larger than life’ essence to the record. It’s as if he wanted to help us all astral project across universes across this EP, and I can’t say I’m mad at that!
We have those grand violin strings, those delicate piano keys, infectious synth keys, and thick plucked strings, as well as soul/R&B grooves with slap-style bass and more funk-based drum patterns towards the end (on the finale track), and all this comes together to create sonic cinema rather than enlighten the masses!
It’s vibrant, surreal, profound, and mind-bending music! The score to your acid dreams is what I’d call it! (Not that I’ve ever tried that substance), but I can imagine this would be the soundtrack to it! The production is heavy and deep; it’s purposely layered and in-depth in the sounds and the way they communicate with each other; it all comes together for a mesmerising and hypnotic score that puts Dub in a lane I personally haven’t seen him in before and curious to see if he goes again!
Now. Onto the MC side of things, as expected, we have the softly spoken, lighthearted, and mellow performance by Sabio. He always delivers his bars like he’s in the most calming and happy mindset one can be in, and this one is no exception!
He brings his soul-filled charisma and energy to the forefront while navigating this new venture, and he pulls off a nice balance of witty and introspective lyricism and pen game that makes his bars always sound interesting, wise, and borderline otherworldly!
With only eight minutes of time to work with, he does a great job at adding emphasis to his performances, making them sound fresh and, at the same time, creative and thought-provoking to the listener!
For such a short project, I think he nailed the execution! Definitely unlike any other project I’ve heard him on, and it’s exciting to wonder where he will go from here!
https://open.spotify.com/album/1DPa1lfdGsudsAMootr7sI?si=_wLy20r1TD60nxnGtVxeiw
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