I think I could count on my one hand how many people from the UK I’ve reviewed since I started this website! For me, it feels like an exciting treat to cover artists from that area, and so with that in mind, let’s ’pay homage’ to the folks from the UK and get on with this thrilling review!
This is the brand-new album by MC Dr Lekta and producer Cross UK, and together they drop a thrilling eight-track project withConway The Machine andStyles P as the features (which is a fucking huge up for this album), and alongside these hip-hop giants, this duo comes headstrong with a record that feels lively and raw in its execution!
I’ll tell you one thing. Whether it’s music, TV, film, comedy, or culture, when done right, no one does it better than the UK. With this standard in mind, this feels like how I WISH all drill rap sounded like. This one has actual personality, flavour, and depth that you can’t find in most hip-hop these days!
From the opening spoken word intro to the first official track, things pop off at an accelerated pace, and that gave me adrenaline! Like a car without its brakes, just full speed ahead! That’s how I would describe Lekta and his performances on this one!
Firstly, to hear him rap alongside Conway and Styles and hearing his obvious strong UK accent paired against those classic American voices made for an interesting dynamic that I didn’t think I’d ever hear! It’s like listening to the best of both worlds type deal.
Anyway, besides those two elephants in the room, and just talking about Lekta himself, he embodies the spirit of explosive! I love his conviction and rough and rugged cadence all over the tracks; he sounds unhinged (but in the best way possible) with non-stop rhyme schemes, set-up bars, witty one-liners combined with speed verses that make you have to go back and replay to discover what he’s saying!
Of course, his thick accent makes anything he says sound that much more compelling! Kind of gives me a ‘Slowthai’ vibe, not just in accent but in the same don’t give a fuck and in-your-face attitude that I felt suited the production of this one completely!
He has a strong sense of penmanship, understanding of the songs and how they should be composed, and how to properly utilise his own voice to enhance the tracks! I feel those qualities alone separate him from 99% of drill rap; it’s the maturity to grow and learn as a proper ‘artist’ and not just a mindless thug over a beat.
Speaking of, we can’t deny the CROSS himself, Mr. Uk! This man was the sonic skeleton of the project that helped amplify the vocals even further and make for an interesting and entertaining listening session for the audience! With only eight tracks, he was able to create a score that was mesmerising and cinematic in its conception!
From the intro to the finale, this feels like a psychological dive into the mind of the two artists. I feel the opening interlude sequence really helped create that ‘laying in a chair talking to a shrink’ atmosphere, which helps the rest of the songs ease and melt into the mind that much easier and make the score appear extra surreal and in-depth/vivid!
While I was listening to this album, I could feel myself floating. My eyes closed and just letting the soundscapes flow through my body and let it tell the story it was intended to.
If I had to describe the overall feel of the music, I would describe it as a fusion between traditional hip hop meets jazz that then had a one-night stand with Lo Fi! That creeps its subtle influence into the tracks to create that mellow, fever dream aesthetic!
I feel like for an album of this magnitude and concept this was the perfect approach to go for the production. You wanted something easy on the ears and memorable at the same time. Something that’s impactful and simultaneously minimal and that’s not an easy line to walk and yet somehow this man makes the process look effortless. Each track feels like a contradiction of different levels that shouldn’t co exist together but does!
As if your taking the sonic leap between each and every aspect of these two men’s memories (The Beautiful, Disgusting and everything in between)
Also shoutout to CROSS for that distorted use of that Elton John in that finale track? That is fucking gorgeous mixing work! I’ve never heard anyone do that to Elton and it gave that final track so much extra character and depth! Unreal!
Dope features? CHECK! Surreal Production? CHECK! Colourful Performances CHECK! This has everything and more!
https://drlekta.bandcamp.com/album/dr-lekta-cross-uk-pay-homage
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