You know, there’s nothing quite like the feeling of going through a dope artist’s discography and finding older gems that you may never have come across otherwise! This is one of those occasions. After dropping one of the dopest albums of last year and talking to this man regularly on socials I’ve developed a friendship with the man behind the role of ‘MC’ and now I get the chance to see what he brought to the table in the year prior to his ‘Kensei’ drop and so with that in mind let’s get into it!
This is the 2023 album by MC Weapon E.S.P and Producer Mr Rose! A man who I haven’t covered in a minute but once whose reputation definitely precedes him! A man with a production style unlike any other associating himself with the frequent acts of
-Estee Nack and Al Divino he’s become part of the culture one way or the other and now we get to hear how he handles a Weapon’s album (spoiler alert) he KILLS IT!
From the very first track I could hear Mr Rose’s trademark combination of Gritty Splash Boom Bap and manipulated Jazz notes to create a sensational atmosphere that only HE could pull of!
I’m talking distorted plucked strings, thudding drum patterns, intricate keys and unpredictable chord progressions that never follow the usual rhythms to give the listener that sense of ‘unpredictability’ and ‘excitement’
He’s able to take some of the most beautiful inspirations and turn them muddy and infectious at the same time. By taking a small handful of elements per song and turning them distorted, experimental and noise inspired he creates an original sound that no one can has been able to replicate!
If I had to choose a favourite track off this album it would have to be track 6 ‘SMOKEEXCELLENCE’ I love this track because it has a heavy Jazz feel with those horns being the centre of the song accompanied by heavy bass and slick drums! It’s so minimalistic and yet so groovy st the same time!
I’ll never get tired of hearing Rose on production because he creates refreshing instrumentals that never follow anyone else’s lane but his own! The definition of an ARTIST.
On to the MC. Of course as I expected Weapon upped his game on this record and it shows! As good and conceptual as he came across in his Kensei record on this one he just sounds straight savage, no nonsense, raw bars to match the ever muddy instrumentals by Rose!
This version of Weapon has to be one of my favourites! As much as I love when he’s on his story telling vibes, his ruthless demeanour over boom Bap makes his stand out as a juggernaut in the underground scene!
He doesn’t stop for a second across this project, bars after bars, clever puns, wordplay and phrases, slick flow impressive vocabulary and a swagger to match!
When he’s in this mode I can’t imagine anyone that could stop him! He’s on his grind and he’s moving 100 miles an hour!
On this track, he is accompanied by long time collaborator and brother -GHOSTOFTHEMACHINE and their chemistry is well known and so of course they absolutely kill it! he also has a fantastic working with this kind of production!
Overall, this was a fantastic throwback album that I wish I had discovered sooner! It’s fresh, raw and masterfully crafted by all parties involved!
https://weaponesp.bandcamp.com/album/victory-sigar-by-weapon-e-s-p-mr-rose
The Serpent Tongue Reviews 