Talking about an underrated MC. After already reviewing a duo album by him earlier this year, he’s been on a roll since the start. From an incredible run in 2025, he’s looking to continue that consistency with this brand-new offering that showcases exactly why he’s the man!
This is the new EP by MC Spoda and producer DJ Mickey Knox, and together they drop a solid six tracks with -Fred The Godson and -Papoose as the hired gun to help massacre the instrumentation!
As was my assumption based on his incredible album with Aiida and DOZA and how the production on that one went, this one has a lot of the same qualities! I’m talking about that thrilling, action-sequence, cinematic elements of underground hip hop that feel like a mini film score!
Right off the bat, we are introduced to the narrative of ‘professional gambling’, which is used for the concept of the entire EP. I love it because it’s a subtle theme, yet with the various spoken word snippets that run through the project, it provides just enough texture and substance to create a meaningful topic!
For example, the opening track -Leave Me Alone, after the mentioned spoken snippet about gambling, we get this fantastic fusion of elements such as these mesmerising piano keys, thudding drum patterns, and a sick bass line that is so heavy it will kick you in the chest! Such a powerful track that utilises only a few layers at a time!
Or we have tracks like -How You Get It, which utilises a more classic take on the boom-bap sound with those grand chord progressions, those light piano keys, and what sounds like a sharp re occurring violin string that appears every ten seconds or so!
All this gives such a lavish, high-stakes feel to it that ends in yet another spoken snippet on the art of gambling! (As well as the dope feature by Fred)
I feel one of the more interesting tracks was the outro one -No Warning, which decides to end the album on possibly the most grimy and gritty instrumental across the whole EP! With those two super sharp synth chords on a malicious loop combined with those sadistic drum beats, that makes for a true definition of ‘controlled chaos’ come to life!
Of course, what stood out to everyone was the insane feature by the household name PAPOOSE! Hearing him rap on the same track as Spoda is like Christmas come early! Especially across that crazy beat? Yeah, it’s a wrap!
Speaking of Spoda. He gave us his absolute best and then some on this one! I thought he was at his peak on the ‘Mr & Mrs Walker’ album, but somehow he’s outdone himself even more from then! (And that was only in January), and he’s back like the infamous workhorse that he is!
Across this tape, he shows us his trademark charismatic personality tied in with his witty bars, excellent creativity woven into his vivid lines, his well-structured verses, as well as his hard-hitting and precise verbal movements across the tracks that make him such a formidable MC to begin with!
Although there are two features on here, he spends the majority of the time holding down the fort just himself, and he does it exceptionally!
As we saw on the EP with Aiida, he has the ability to form phenomenal chemistry with the right names! Even pairing and going toe-to-toe with the 2 MC’s on this project further proves his capabilities as a team player, but what’s most important to me is he also showed how he has the right level of confidence, cadence, ability, and experience to rock a record solo if he needs to and still hold the attention of the audience!
I wasn’t worried for a second. This one was just as fluent and thrilling as I expected it to be. From the dope production to the verses of everyone involved. Make sure you click the link below and support the man and the culture!
https://spoda1.bandcamp.com/album/high-rollers-98
The Serpent Tongue Reviews 