Man, what a trilogy this has become. I still remember hearing the first one, which led to an on-screen interview for me and Brutus’s ‘The Verdict’ podcast episode talking to the man exclusively as he defended his album over the Rome Streetz record ‘KISS THE RING’, and little did I know at that time that it would lead into the strong relationship I would have with not only him but his whole 6th Man team!
So, in saying that, let’s get into the long-awaited third instalment of one of the best trilogies in hip-hop history! LET’S GO!
This is the brand-new record by Rap legend The Bad Seed, 6th Man kingpin! With this record, he’s coming with a whole squad of producers such as:
– Team Demo
– Murda Megz
– Jah Freedom
– Nam Nitty
– Silverback Lauren
– CJ Dove
– Van Gunz & Poe Mack
– Shade Cobain
– s-tewe
– Freakshow
– Doza The Drum Dealer
And features MC’s of:
– PH
– MIMS
If that ain’t a strong list of beat makers, then you’re fucking trippin! This is more than an HOUR of content. Over an hour of ridiculous beats and even harder flows to match by the living legend himself!
You know, when you have so many producers on a project, there’s always a worry that it’s going to sound messy and out of sync (due to having too many heads in the kitchen), but thankfully, this project went against that stereotype and inherited the best aspects of each man involved and fleshed out their strongest qualities to create 23 tracks of pure fire!
Across the different sounds and inspirations, this album maintains Seed’s usual no-nonsense, heavy-handed, raw, and gritty tone that is a homage paid to the 90s where he started his career from! With every record, he’s always found a way to pay some form of respect to the OG era, and this record is no different.
Whether we are talking tracks like ‘Words2Mama’ which brings back the powerhouse production by Nam Nitty! In this track we have those heavy strings, hypnotic drum patterns and those subtle keys going off in the background! This is as raw as it gets and unforgiving as it comes! (Plus love the return to that undeniable chemistry of Nam and Seed!)
One of the leading singles off the album (Old Head) with the Silverback himself, Lauren, and on this track we have those funky and groovy horns with those light G-Funk chords in the background causing a badass, minimal instrumental that hits all the right places!
This is definitely one of those tracks I can hear a Biggie Smalls influence from! Gives me ‘Kick In The Door’ type feel to it! Always making sure to pay back to his roots!
You’d be absolutely retarded if you don’t recognise the long-lasting synchronicity between Seed and Murda Megz. The woman who has a small handful of tracks on this project and all of them go OFF! Probably my favourite track being ‘Stick and Fried’, she has to be the most improved producer I’ve heard in the last few years getting better with each and every drop and her cuts on this record are definitely no exception!
I love the choir, gospel feel this record showcased, giving that track a heavy cinematic feel to it!
Another name I was happy to see (even if only once) is Shade Cobain! He’s also become one of my favourite producers of the year and hasn’t missed yet. On this record he produces the track ‘J’ouvert’ which I remember reviewing as a single and I found it one of the most interesting and out-there instrumentals I’ve ever heard Seed spit on! It was unique, brash and in your face just in a way I wasn’t expecting!
A name I wasn’t expecting on this project for a pleasant surprise was ‘Doza The Drum Dealer’ he’s a name I’ve only discovered a few months ago but one that impressed me 10x fold! This man has such a colorful and flavourful style to his production that makes all his music infectious! But his chemistry with Seed ended up being amazing!
With his track ‘R2’ which has this heavy, orchestral type beat that is every bit as grand and powerful as I expected him to be! Those choir samples with those heavy drum patterns and infectious bass lines! Such a simply layers track but one that has enough depth and aura that can match any other track on this record!
Point being, even with this many producers on hand every one of them hits HARD! Not a single stale beat to find, absolute chemistry and runs as fluent as I could ever expect them to be together, respect and shoutout to all beat makers involved!
Now, onto Seed himself. One thing I love about this record was the pre release promoting he was doing for it! All the Michael Jordan, 3 Peat posts and photos really had me hype! He carries that same vibes into the album with tons of references on tracks like ‘JORDAN IN A KNICK JERSEY’ or how early on in the album he had basketball references in sound samples and even Seed himself using adlibs talking and making his own custom fan screaming sounds!
He understands the gravity of a third installation and not making a sequel just for the sake of it, he’s doing it because it’s important to him and the songs and verses need to be heard! And he adds so much details, lyricism and themes that it’s hard to include it all in one review.
You’ve got that track ‘Me And My Brother’ which if you know anything about Seed or 6th man can understand the importance and emotion depth of this track, regarding his long lost brother PH and not only that but having him at the end in a posthumous verse really hit me hard so I can’t imagine how it made Seed and team felt! Can’t of been easy to record!
You’ve got that track ‘Old Head’ which is quite self explanatory, talking about his age and the current landscape of hip hop and how he’s still running circles around everyone in the game right now!
You’ve got the track ‘I MISS CRACKHEADS’ which I found to be a pretty funny premise, and when I heard it was just him talking about a variety of Crackheads he remembers in his time and sounded more of just a nostalgia track more then anything!
That’s another thing, with an over an hour of content there’s so much lyrical diversity by Seed that goes beyond his ‘fuck your life’ gritty attitude on the beat that we’ve come to fall for over the years!
For every track, there’s a new topic and a new opportunity for Seed to showcase his ability that he’s been sharping and evolving over the decades! More then an hour to out rap all the young guys in the game and prove once again why it’s the older generation that is taking over (and has been taking over for years now)
To say this is the perfect addition to a trilogy is an understatement. From the epic and diverse production to the MC Masterclass by Seed and company! It’s an album that’s more art than music!
https://thebadseed6.bandcamp.com/album/four-finger-ring-iii
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