It’s always an exciting moment for me to go back to an artist I’ve only heard once prior and see what they come up with next! With this artist specifically, I remember how dope I found the first album I coveted, and so I walk into this one with high expectations and an eagerness to see what he’s going to present us with next! So let’s talk about it!
This is the brand-new EP by MC Thought Provokah and production by the likes of
– Da Verse
– Kash Flow
– DJ Glibstylez
– buddy minnelli
And across this six-track, 17-minute project, we get a more developed and introspective look into a man’s soul who had already presented us with an extensive experience on his last album, but this one feels like a brief yet powerful expression of perspective, identity, and reflection on levels we didn’t have in the first one.
On this one, we hear him utilise the short time to maximise the power and impact of his words and meanings. Once again, talking as no one else in the world is around except himself. He has a level of rapping that sounds less like an art form and more like a man alone with his own thoughts, just thinking out loud and letting his natural ideas be the candidate for the bars.
Despite this lack of ‘MC structure’, he still showcases things like fluent flow, verbal excellence, fantastic enunciations, and vibrant dialogue and in-depth analysis that makes you feel like you’re listening to the best author you’ve ever heard!
He makes his verses feel so organic that it feels like I’m listening to a spoken word album with dope beats other than your standard record. Another confirmation of this is the lack of features! (I can’t remember if that was the case for the first one), but regardless, it presents a further push into that ‘speaking out loud’ theory with no other voices to hear but his.
As I just said above, this album does indeed contain dope beats that manifest themselves across four beat makers that come together to create one of the most soulful experiences I’ve heard yet!
Each man presents a different and charismatic offering of killer production that almost feels ‘Christmasy’ in the way it’s executed.
The instrumentals that stood out to me are as follows. We had the opening track ‘Solitude’ with this beautifully delicate ambient jazz style beat that warmed my heart! You’ve got those light and subtle piano keys that combine with those infectious free-lance jazz horns and super light drums that give a strong Herbie Hancock vibe!
Combine this with Thought’s exquisite performance and this is literally the PERFECT intro! I also love how there’s about 30 seconds of instrumental with no vocals that helped focus the beat even further!
‘9th Wonder Little Brother’ (the third track) was another adoring track that I couldn’t resist. It was so fucking smooth! You had that funky drum pattern, that soulful vocal harmony loop as well as those screeching (what sounds like sharp violin strings) that give a bursting texture to the track!
This is definitely a track I expect Common to rap on and give that to the abilities of Thought and it becomes an instant classic!
Another track that stood out to me was ‘Slick Talk’. This track has an almost acoustic feel to it. It has a very smooth, surreal and atmospheric sound to it that I feel in love with. You’ve got those light vocal loops with those subtle drums and plucked chords that sound glitchy but suit the type of vibe for this song!
This is the type of track you’d listen to while getting a hot chocolate ready sitting by the fire and relaxing after a long day at work! A more soothing experience for the listener!
All in all, the combination of the phenomenal production to the MC performances it all came together in such a magical way that it felt like (in the hip hop sense) they brought the spirit of Christmas to the front door! Go listen and see what I mean!
https://open.spotify.com/album/3P0AxpiZA3rdzJ8QwilFjX?si=MyXHcxWhTt-l9q3-3F4m7g
The Serpent Tongue Reviews 