I’m (Volume One)

Wow, what a treat to experience in today’s era. A record executive produced by the legendary Chuck D and provides a blast from the past to the golden era! Let’s talk about it.

So this is the latest release by MC Phill, Most Chill, with production from DJ MROK and, as stated above, executive produced by a legend! And this consists of 14 tracks, with 7 being the original songs and the last 7 being instrumental tracks of the same songs.

Now I say MC very strongly here because this album brings back the nostalgic, golden era of Hip Hop from the mid to late 80’s and early 90’s, and it’s wonderful to hear. The production is very reminiscent of acts like:

-Slick Rick

-Public Enemy

-Run DMC

-Erib and Rakim 

Very old-school traditional hip hop beats with lots of flavour, infectious cuts, and trademark groovy rhythms and bass lines that I can’t help but smile when I hear them because it takes me back to when I first discovered this era of rap about more than 15 years ago now and started my love of the genre in all its forms.

You forget how truly funky and contagious or damn near addictive the sounds were back in the day and has been replicated here. Instrumentals and songs used to be ‘fun’, how many albums have you heard this year that you can categorise as ‘fun?’ I can’t name many. It’s all about seriousness and gangsta shit or serious concepts and stories (which I love too), but again, you don’t realise what you’ve lost until you revisit the past, and DJ MROK understood this and did an absolutely perfect job at making a love letter to the old school!

Now onto Phill. The man with the most interesting name in the rap game! He’s tasked with bringing these beats to life, and let me tell you something, he does that and then some on this one! It’s incredible.

His style reminds me of all the MC greats! He has such an intellectual and witty flow that is a blast to listen to! To me, it sounds like a mixture of Slick Rick and Posdnuos; the constant flow switches and pen game is ridiculous. Fire after fire, bar after bar, this guy doesn’t stop.

He’s reviving the prime MC era of the 80s and bringing it to the modern age, and putting his own modern twist on top of it!

He’s like a lyrical freight train with no plans of stopping! Also, what’s cool is he provides instrumental tracks for those who just want the beats! Such an interesting perspective to add to an album, but I dig it!

Nothing I love more than throwbacks to the past, and this one was done better than any I’ve heard in a while. This felt like Silk Sonic but for hip hop, and instead of Bootsy Collins, it was Chuck D! Definitely don’t miss this one! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/2IXCPVd2YY02Y7w8YWHm5L?si=7887WRtXTgmtb_n7CoKJzw

(Birds Eye View)

Can you believe this will be the 301st review? Still can’t believe I’ve made it this far, but here we are, and let’s get into it!

So this is the latest EP collaboration between MC Don Enzo and producer Bhramabull and features the likes of 

-Daniel Son

-ReadyRockDee

And although this is only a short 5-track project with under 20 minutes of content, this thing hits HARD! 

Right off the bat, you can hear that classy, raw, smooth, and beautifully crafted production by Bharmabull. He makes the instrumentals feel fancy and high-end. He turns grimy and harsh sounds into something out of a cinema or opera. With those angelic tunes and harmonic strings and chords all laced into the form of a grand Hip Hop album, just makes this an absolute lavish and satisfying experience that I wasn’t expecting going into this.

Sure, there are some muddier cuts such as ‘Mothers Eyes’ featuring Daniel Son and ReadyRockDee, but for the most part, across this short EP, I feel like Bharmabull is fleshing out that extraordinary performance of blending the Classical with a modern-day originality to create truly one of the most stand-out and interesting EP’s to come out this year!

Now onto Don Enzo himself, what I took from his performance on this project was his raw and straightforward honesty, compelling speech patterns, and intricate approach to flow, lyricism, and pen game.

He isn’t the type to be flashy or fake for viewership’s sake; he’s just being him, and you can hear his down-to-earth nature in how he talks, his confidence, his personality, and energy across the tracks.

He has a fluent/smooth flow style that hits the beat pattern exactly when it’s supposed to. His lyricism is sharp, precise, and delivered with such force that it forces the listener to pay attention to every word he says.

Even when rapping alongside a deadly trio on that song I spoke about above, he still maintained his composure, rapped equally with the other two, and proved why he can rap alongside anyone. If he can rap well against those two, then he’s set for the industry itself.

One solid EP from start to finish, from spectacular production to killer verses and fantastic features, it literally has it all! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/2fqj2r3IbIqZ5J4BtbWiD2?si=R_RagWCxTeGEn4upoVXbjg

(BALADS)

Man, Estee. What a man and what a fucking career he’s had! I’ve covered almost ten of his albums lately and I haven’t found a dud yet. This man just has the definition of ‘IT’ factor and, including probably more releases on Bandcamp exclusive, this man has the catalogue and career everyone dreams of! But he has no plans of stopping and that’s where this comes in. Let’s talk about it!

So this is the March 2020 drop by Estee Nack and producer Superior. Together they drop eleven tracks with thirty-four minutes of content. Featuring the likes of 

-ETO

-Daniel Son

-The Real Ice Lord

-Recognize Ali

-Code Nine

And although once again missing the infamous Al, this is a solid lineup. A mixture of artists he’s worked with in the past and a few new ones. Regardless, this one is an interesting combination of sounds he’s done before and new influences combined.

Superior has this methodical approach to this album that’s intriguing to the ears. It’s as if he’s taking a more classical/theatrical path with opera vocal loops and deep, in-depth chord notes and harmonies that make you feel you’re in some Greek mythology timeline. The kind of ballads they would play is what I imagine this sounds like.

We get that flavour right off the bat with the opening track and then the album dives into more slow-paced production with empathies on the patterns, the sharpness of the music itself, and making sure it’s as clear and consistent as well as flavourful and infectious. He did everything on that list and more on this album!

Estee and company provide their trademark charismatic flows with a bit more emphasis, it feels, on the melodic side of things with more singing and notes by Estee as he utilises this harmonic production.

In no way would I consider this a ‘sentimental’ record, but the extra usage of vocal notes and softer touches on the adlibs makes me think that Estee (in his own way, of course) wants this record to be his once-off softer record as perhaps a change of pace or trying something new with this new producer.

Of course, I could be all wrong about this, but compared to his other albums past and present, Estee is definitely giving me a different vibe, and in no means is it a bad album. It’s fucking excellent, and it still inherits all the things we love from him, from his charisma to his originality in his flow and lyricism, so he’s still on top of his game even across this more melodic experience! 

Overall, regardless of how different this might sound compared to other releases, Estee makes this production work best for him, and he pulls off another stunning performance and makes for one of his most iconic albums to date!

https://open.spotify.com/album/52zrqsoMG3TnAL39aPSXQ6?si=FGRZic2gTQSq39wy4-ru-A

(IWANNAFXCKJADAFIRE)

Man, 2020 started off strong with Estee. Starting with a fantastic Minimansiondust Vol. 4 and now the first edition of his collaboration with producer Grubby Pawz, and together they released pure magic!

So, this is the 12th March 2020 release with 11 songs and 37 minutes. Featuring the likes of: 

-Mooch

-Daniel Son

-Rigz 

-JuneLyfe

-Codenine 

-SmooVth

-Haze

What’s surprising about this album is the lack of Al Divino. This might be the first project without him that I’ve covered; it definitely feels a bit empty without the dynamic duo, but with those amazing names, including the debut of Estee working with Daniel Son, this album still manages to pull off a phenomenal record that has all the potential and grit you were expecting!

The rapping on this one feels as charismatic and powerful as there has been so far. You can hear the passion, energy, and enthusiasm in their tones and style. What always surprises me about Nack is his originality and ability to create seamless flow that doesn’t follow any real pattern or reason. Kind of similar to an artist like MF DOOM, who never was bound down by the beat but always followed his own path with his lyricism, and that’s how I feel with Estee. He ain’t a slave to the production; he makes it work for him and manipulates it for his own benefit.

The features he has on this go absolutely ballistic in execution and delivery. Whenever you get the treat of hearing both Estee X Daniel Son on the same song, it’s always a solid track. The others follow suit and give their best work and match the same killer and vicious aura as Estee and do justice to Grubby Pawz and his work!

Speaking of the man. With his first installation of work with Estee, he had a point to prove, and boy did he make it.

His production has a lot of variety involved, such as:

-Jazz

-Experimental

-Soft Rock

-Boom Bap

-Grime 

And not only does he mix these influences perfectly, but he makes them grand and heavy in feel and vibe. Each beat sounds cinema level of crisp and extravagant in nature. The kind of score you hear that runs through every part of you until you’re left with chills and it’s stuck in your mind days after hearing it, and as it happens with an Estee record, it’s something you’ll be addicted to for months and have the craving to listen to week after week and never get sick of it.

I also love the technique woven through this album and how well crafted they appear. Each second of the beat feels lively and unique. There’s no one song that sounds the same as the next or one before, and the way he blends different sounds is elite.

Using the song ‘WHITEGIRLSINROXBURY’, where it starts with that five seconds of smooth jazz only to be converted into a raw, tough beat. But the transition between the two was absolutely masterful and adds to his skill level as a producer! 

One again, if you’re counting, that’s a lot of albums with a W and no losses, and I don’t think I’ll ever find it. Shoutout to Grubby for his ridiculous work on this one!

https://open.spotify.com/album/5XFRNf3jeR4xVj76Z0r3jz?si=-TkTnZhaTWKFF8tZkDfEvg

(Minimansiondust Vol 4)

It’s time for now to jump to 2020 with the 4th volume of this incredible tape series. These volumes are very underrated in the underground, and the more I cover them, the more I’m able to see the impact and the influence these had on what the sound would be in the years to come.

So, this one, as has been the norm in the last 3 volumes, features Estee Nack and is produced mainly by Mr Rose, as well as 

-JuneLyfe 

-El Maryacho

And features the likes of 

-Crucial The Guillotine

-Al Divino

-Condenine

-Weapon ESP

-???

-C Wellz 

Right off the bat, I fucking love this production. As has been trademarked by Mr Rose, he tends to favour those smooth, soulful, and crisp loops/samples that feature immaculate production and sounds that are so masterfully executed that each part of your body feels the instrumentation. 

Unlike projects like the third volume, for example, where it felt like a more mixture of Grime and Harmonic.

This one just feels like a cinematically melodic vibe with traces of tough boom bap that’s sprinkled throughout the album, but I do feel the use of those luscious keys, long-lasting chords that create such a magnificent atmosphere that has a twisted ambient feel to it, like a darker equivalent of an ASMR Rap experience, and I fucking love it because it suits every name involved!

Speaking of the names involved. It’s exciting reviewing this one because it features my main man from 6th Man, Weapon ESP! To hear him in an Estee album is crazy, and he absolutely killed his verse.

As does every feature on this project; that’s the thing people don’t speak on enough: the level of quality Estee & Al bring out in their guests. They make it mandatory that if you’re going to appear on an album of theirs, you better come correct and spit properly, and none of that wake shit, otherwise, you can forget about it.

It’s this level of quality control that makes every release an anticipated one due to this factor, and of course, when speaking on the two men themselves, of course, they don’t miss.

Al with his savage and chaotic nature, and Estee with his infinite charisma, and when they both drop their original rap style and flow, then it’s a wrap; no one can contend with that, and they consistently prove why they don’t know how to take an L!

One again, another fire volume. It really is ridiculous their consistency and release schedule. Even Al in the current day is dropping projects after projects this year on his website! Two of the greatest, no doubt, with Mr Rose hitting it outta the park as well! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/27WjIys23nsjSH9Nnw6U34?si=4s81S8ZxRwSe70xWEsVFlg

(Planted Seeds)

We have officially landed in 2019 with the Estee Nack discography, and just when I thought his collaboration with Recognize Ali was surprising, this one is taken to a whole new level! 

This latest collaboration features Estee Nack with fellow rapper Nowaah The Flood and producer EL Maryacho, who was featured on the last album with Ali but now is running shit on this one, and he does an absolutely fantastic job dealing with these two Goliaths in the industry.

Across this 10-track record, we see EL use more theatrical and classical elements with long harmonic chords, ambient-inspired strings and beats, as well as cinematic production value that has every instrumental feel like it was mixed with Dolby Atmos as it just passes throughout your body and soul with every chord struck.

I love how this production incorporated styles like 

-Lo Fi

-Soul

-East Coast

-Boom Bap

And sure, there are still elements of Grimy, muddy hard bears, but for the make part, this is a more sensual and laid-back listening experience than past or future drops from Estee. Although he is more familiar with crazier elements, it’s still worth noting that if he feels like it, he can pull off just as well this level of atmosphere, and it makes for a more introspective listening when the production is as mellow as this one!

Estee and Nowaah make for such an interesting combination. A pairing I never would have guessed, but they complement each other with their level of intensity, charisma, and energy they deliver on each and every bar.

When they go back and forth, it seems seamless and effortless. As if they have been working on this for decades and are finally just releasing it in 2019. 

Two powerful voices with fluent flows and sharpened lyricism and pen game the level most wish they had. 

Across this project, they do have features such as 

-Recognize Ali

-The Real Ice Lord

-Al Divino

A deadly trio to work alongside, and any lesser men would seize up even attempting to keep up with these three, but Estee and Nowaah are established beasts in the industry who can stand toe to toe with anyone in the game, including these men!

Overall, another win by Estee and company. The production was a delightful change of pace that still suited the duo perfectly! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/5vT0kAGtFX7UC4M1bQ1LXZ?si=7aCpG9v7QuSl9_l6VoMMRg

(Post Tenebras Lux)

Man, talk about a collaboration I never would have expected until I found it myself. Two powerhouses in the industry, and even back in the day, were turning heads with their respective lanes and albums, but now they share a record, and it’s a thing to behold!

So, this is a 2018 collaboration album between rappers Estee Nack and Recognize Ali, and it brings nine tracks with 25 minutes of content, produced by the likes of: 

-Mr Rose

-El Mary Acho

-Vago

-K. Sluggah 

-Frank Grimes

-NCL-TM

And right off the bat, the production sounds absolutely angelic. I can’t say I was expecting this from the pairing on our hands, and of course, there are tough, absurd boom bap monster tracks, but there are so many tracks that are soulful, harmonic, beautiful, and surreal in nature. A lot of this album has a cinematic nature to it with its incredibly masterful aspects and theatrical sonic visuals that make you feel like you’re in a fever dream! 

On the other end of the album, we have, as mentioned above, some of the toughest beats that punch you in the face and know you down if you ain’t solid enough to handle the pressure. With these producers, they provide a nice, varied listen, with half of the album being beautifully crafted and the other half dark and grimy, with no room for weak shit. 

This kind of variety does fit Estee’s more current style of unpredictable beats, experimental, and out-there production choices, but to hear it this far back, especially with who he’s working alongside, is crazy!

Speaking of that man, Recognize Ali! The beast that’s become infamous for his ‘Guerrilla Dynasty’ Trilogy with Stu Bangas and has put his work in the game has decided to destroy the game by pairing with Estee, and together they easily out-rap everyone in the game in 2018, no question! 

Their chemistry is undoubtedly some of the best you’ll ever hear, and they feed off each other’s murderous studio energy and go back and forth trying to outdo each other in a literal ‘clash of the titans’ taking place across the project.

As expected, Estee is starting to inherit his more wildcard side, which is always a treat to listen to him just off frantically on a beat, and his rap verses evolved even more so!

Ali, with his dominating presence, looms over every instrumental with this tyrannical force, where the listener is forced to absorb every word and sentence out of fear of him maybe listening in through the headphones and jumping out to stomp you out.

Across this project, we have Al Divino as the one and only feature on here, and of course, as usual, whenever he’s on the case, the beat gets more hectic and insane. And then, comparing the fact all three were on the same track, it got chaotic quickly, and I loved every second of it.

Estee’s streak continues. I still haven’t heard a bad record from him yet, and I doubt I ever will, especially when you add a legend like Ali to the mix! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/2YSUiAIL8MhWTloaMAXRg7?si=Hx7Fhtt5Q4ybqcaP3PO1Pg

(Minimansiondust Vol 3)

It’s insane going back and looking at the career Estee had in 2018. 

-Minimansiondust Vol. 2-3

-Post Tenebras Lux

Plus more on Bandcamp, he was really putting the work in (well, really since 2015), but especially as the years go back, his consistency and release rate up until fairly recently has been insane, and with the release of this Vol. 3, you start to feel the present-day Estee forming, with all of his grandiose adlibs and monstrous personality coming out more with this release than the others, and his collaboration with Mr. Rose proving more fruitful than it ever has!

Across this protect, we hear Mr. Rose tap into his more ferocious side. The grimy, surreal sonic atmosphere is heavy in the air with drops, and with a more established 10 tracks and a slightly longer run time, we can see Mr. Rose, Estee, and his common features such as Al Divino and new faces as 

-Paranom

-Purpose

-Kassino Akosta

-Primo Profit 

-Royal One

Work wonders together, fleshing out each other’s best sides in the studio, revving up the intensity levels, and making sure no second is wasted in producing the perfect listening experience for the true hip-hop heads.

Although there are still cuts of smooth and soulful loops and samples, it feels as if Mr. Rose has visited ‘The Dark Side’ and blended the two together to create a specific aura and dreamlike performance, as if to say ‘You’ve heard me on my blissful shit, now prepare for my raw shit,’ and I love it!

I mentioned above that Estee has started to establish his signature wild side and unpredictable cadence in the studio with this Volume, and I’m not lying. Although his rapping ability was still top-tier across the other volumes, he still sounded as if he was in the process of figuring himself out and what he wants to achieve and make of himself outside of the rapping, and now on here we hear it all.

The loud and frequent adlibs, his bilingual voice snippets across the tracks, his signature ‘Oh yeah’ in his iconic long pronouncement of it, and his overall energy is just next level.

Sharing that newfound charisma, his lyrics just hit 10x harder than ever did before; they have that extra flair and excitement. The type of rapping you get today where he sounds like he’s a human freight train running through the production at light speed, giving listeners an adrenaline rush just hearing him spit bars.

His witty and tough verses land like no other can do, and when you combine the newly developed, more grime production mixed with Estee’s evolution and the absurdity of how good those features are, then you get a recipe for one of his most memorable tapes!

If you ain’t on these tapes, you gotta be! Especially for this one, and if this one is so good, I can’t imagine how the rest will sound going forward! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/6HioJLH1TECF5lXslEzyxy?si=Db9zH4FXRbCNfGAfQ1AfuQ

(Minimansiondust Vol 2)

Time for another edition to the Minimansion Dust series. Can’t believe we get to hear Estee all the way back from 2018. The more you go back, the more you realise his discography is underrated and should be studied!

So, this is the latest collaboration project between Estee Nack and producer Mr Rose. This tape has seven tracks and 24 minutes of content while featuring only: 

-Al Divino

-JuneLyfe

And it’s always amazing and mind-blowing to hear an era of Estee where he wasn’t on the most intense, experimental, and muddy grime you’ve heard in your life like he is now.

Instead, to hear him rap on mostly smooth and harmonic instrumentation over some angelic chords and strings that give off a rather peaceful feel rather than a chaotic one.

Of course, on cuts with Al Divino, the atmosphere ramps up to a more familiar and grimy loop-based boom Bap extravaganza, but outside of those, one of his regular pairings with Mr Rose provides an insight into a rather interesting and humbled beginning while he was still making his way through the business and before he became a household name that he is now.

As far as the rapping is concerned. Although he came from a different background in sound, his original and unique rap style that he’s so notorious for was the same even back then. He still has that talking, barely sounds rehearsed at all, just like he’s walked into the booth and started talking whatever was on his brain, and it’s that exact style that I love about him so much, it’s unlike anything I’ve heard before or since.

Of course, he has perfect chemistry with Al Divino, and June; the trio don’t miss when they are together, and the rest of the album, he’s working alone, providing the narrative (one that is still active today) that he doesn’t need features to make an album popping; he’s the main attraction, and that’s what people pay to hear! 

Another excellent volume from Estee and Mr Rose. It’s clear that he had that ‘IT’ factor even back then, and to go through and hear him evolve into what he is now is a worthwhile adventure! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/34JDzwgA1wonZgiPsbwyuL?si=sfCPjnUITGGHMGED5N40Eg

(The Art Of Reanimation)

We are taking a time machine back to 2022. The heart of COVID, and little did anyone know it would also become the debut of one of the illest collaborative projects the culture has seen yet! Let’s talk about it!

So, this is the collaboration of Producer DEAD PERRY, whose reputation beyond exceeds him, and rapper and lyrical powerhouse Casual. Together, they dropped 18 songs with a whopping hour of run time and features from the likes of: 

-DJ TMB

-L Nasty

-GhostFace Killah

-Killer Priest

-MC Wicks

-Phesto

-Planet Asia 

-Tristate

-Izrell

-DJ Jason D

-CRIMEAPPLE

-ETO

-P-Dirt

-Rass Kass

-Tajai

-Rockness Monsta

-Celp Titled

-Daniel Son

-J-Spliff

-Sally Green

 

And without any real surprise, DEAD PERRY is pulling off another exquisite performance. While

maintaining his usual grime atmosphere, I feel on this one he’s combining elements of hardcore east coast, experimental, and with 90’s style scratching and cuts. You combine all these, and you get a cinematic listening experience that feels surreal and gritty at the same time.

With the long list of artists on this one, he’s making sure each song has its own heartbeat and soul attached to it.

You click on any of the songs, and they will all sound different in their own way, providing the specific platform for the artist to go off on! Nothing worse than listening to a large-scale project with tons of rappers, and the producer doesn’t even bother taking the time to design the instrumentals based on who’s on them, having the whole album sound exactly the same.

I hate that shit.

But thankfully, with the masterful techniques and years grinding in this game, he’s more than capable of pulling off a diverse and substantial album that draws you in and leaves you with a memorable experience long after the album is done!

As far as the rappers are concerned, just like my other DEAD PERRY album, this album is equally banging and performing on the highest level of the art of the MC.

Each man has impeccable skill, untouchable aura, lethal wordplay, and devastatingly smooth lyricism and pen game. All individuals on this list bring their best selves and match the aura of the production! 

Each man on this list has gone on to create modern-day classics in this game, so when they are all on the list for one project, you’re sure to get nothing but ridiculous bars from everyone involved!

Plus, some of these song match-ups are insane:

‘The Gift Of Science’ Ghostface Killah X Killah Priest’

Or ‘Nothin To Toy With’ CRIMEAPPLE X Eto X P-Dirt, even ‘Run For Cover’ Celph Titled X Daniel Son X J-Spliff, and these are just three of 18 tracks to choose from, and all feature their own dope chemistry pairings! 

This is the kind of album you can play anywhere; it’s full of quality match-ups, production is flawless, and the overall vibe is crisp and gritty in the best way possible! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/3RMpnoNTG8EhsFHyS6X6Kg?si=5YcHfwYCRDGPvDWrCoy-ow