You know, if you had told me a year ago that I’d be getting a collaboration album between these two, I wouldn’t have believed you! My reason is actually kinda petty. I treat this rap game kinda like wrestling across different brands. When I find out this person knows that person, I’m like ‘WORD? They fuck with each other? That’s so sick!’ Imagining a WWE wrestle teaming with an AEW wrestler! That’s why I’m always so mind blown at various collabs, and this one is at the top of that list! Let’s talk about it!
This is the brand-new album by MC’s B1 The Architect & Young Reese Dude, two men I fuck with heavily! With production from B1 himself, 6th Floor!
I feel like I want to start with the production side of things. I kind of had an idea of how this would sound as I had a hand in reviewing a small handful of the singles leading up, so I understood the raw, gritty yet cinematic approach they were going for, and they nailed the execution perfectly!
What really stood out to me about the sounds on this one is the fact it’s so down to earth while maintaining an overall theatrically heavy vibe that makes this feel like a thriller film!
You’ve got the instrumentation speaking its own stories and emotion using the various instruments, whether you’re talking about the songs with those gorgeous plucked strings or delicate piano keys, rhythmic drum patterns, synth-style chords, deep bass, I mean you name it, and they use all the key elements you’d expect to hear in the underground and take them to a higher and more elegant level!
Hell, even on songs like -No Release, they add these haunting and surreal Jazz Horns that make this track feel dangerous in development.
I feel like the production itself feels just as the artwork is displayed. Dark, apocalyptic, chaotic yet majestic, stunning, and otherworldly! In various ways and tones, these elements come together to create the sonic definition of that artwork, and it’s something you’ll literally have to hear to experience and understand.
The evolution of B1 has to be studied, man. I can’t lie and say I discovered him since day one because I didn’t. But from the moment I discovered him till now, I’ve seen such an upgrade in his persona, his charisma, his ability to rap and even produce! He’s turned himself into the whole threat, and the culture is better off for it!
Hell, the same can be said for Young Reese, dude! Just like B1, I discovered him last year, and my taste hasn’t been the same since. His creativity, his amazing performances, and rhyming ability all come together so harmoniously.
So, it’s no surprise that when these two collide, it becomes nothing short of spectacular. The two of them going back to back, verse after verse, fire after more fire! These two are definitely showing us the best version of themselves, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole time they are trying to outdo the other in some brotherly competition!
They bring that sharp edge to each bar, they teleport the listener in and out from the vivid imagery raps to the personal and introspective they literally provide it all on this album!
Also, I gotta shoutout E. Smitty for his vocals on the track -Reach For The Stars. It provides a small tonal shift in the album because his singing makes this song feel like a hit single you’d hear on a radio station. He fucking killed it! Definitely a great asset to the album and obviously the track.
Overall, this album exceeded any and all expectations I had for it. It’s clean, crisp, heavy, and powerful all in one with one of the best duos I’ve heard in a minute! Make sure you tap in below!
https://open.spotify.com/album/5WB3EBuFePRvjgJqaBHyEe?si=e2tc-e-pRzmtcCaPuuhGUw
The Serpent Tongue Reviews 