(HOODLUMS)

With a title that’s revealing in its own way about what to expect from this record. Interestingly that title can mean different things depending on who you ask.

Some describe that term as a dangerous thug set for violence. Others describe a person who isn’t exactly on the right path and is often found on the opposite end of it. 

Regardless of your personal definition of this album, you can expect one thing. A defying and stand-alone record that answers and conforms to nothing or no one. That is the true essence of 

HOODLUMS.

This is the brand-new album by MC/Producer AU, who this time alone is giving the beat reigns to the man they call SketchTurner, and together they drop a seven-track, 16-minute project with my homeboy ANT KELLY on the guest list! So you know it’s about to be a wild time! 

Now, what struck me right away with this one was one key word: ‘the ambiance’. You’d think that can describe any album, but no. This (to me) is a term that details a certain level of creativity and atmosphere that’s associated with the art itself. When you can hear the effort, passion, and conviction in the music, that’s when you know an album has a level of ambience.

Across this project, we hear Sketch take us all on a hip-hop journey through an alternate universe where everything is sweet and everyone loves. A truly immersive world of bold flavours, free-forming instrumentation, and the soothing ability to put even the most stressed-out person back into control with the relaxing atmosphere.

The one thought that came to mind with these beats is almost like a mirror dimension to ‘A Tribe Called Quest’. It’s equally powerful and enlightened and has the same jazz and soul ambient elements, but this one is done in such a unique contrast that it’s hard to put my finger on.

Every beat flows into the next fluently and flawlessly in such a way that for me, it’s impossible to choose a favourite track as I consider this whole record to be a masterpiece. 16 minutes I’ll hear yet! 

As far as MC work goes! We have AU. A man who has swept me away with his equalised balance of Swift and sharp wordplay combined with his sense of production, as he’s shown he can do both, but when he’s just on the mic, that’s when you hear him at his best!

I’m talking conceptual bars, personal verses, vivid imagery, and more. These are actually the most revealing and interesting bars I’ve heard from

the man to date! Especially on tracks like ‘Accents’ where the song literally

started with ‘my dad’s a drug addict, I’ve been raised by the dope’. With that as the intro, you know you’re in for a surreal experience, and it was! 

(Also, dope verse by ANT across this track!)

Instead of feeling like 16 minutes of bars, I felt like I was reading a man’s personal journey that just happened to rhyme. Confident and composed technique combined with powerful vocabulary structures that leave you thought-provoked after every few bars!

Trust me, this is the kind of record you CAN’T MISS! It’s not only infectious in sound but interesting, street-worthy, and most importantly, filled with 

AMBIENCE.

https://open.spotify.com/album/3OLJnrkRxoprBWzWpuSZMR?si=SmD1qsn1TiG90ookUrgDzA