GRINCH’N II: ALL MEN BEAR ARMS

There must be something exciting about a producer being able to switch sides and start rapping. The whole time I’ve known this man I’ve heard him make beats and now I can see how he handles the mic! Alongside one of the best new names I’ve discovered in the production game this one is bound to kill!

This is the brand new album by MC -shvmire and Producer -Luca Brasi 753 with the sole feature being
-Mondo Slade and -Pinnland Empire on the cuts!

Now, going into this I didn’t know what to expect. This is the first album in the history of music where a Halloween promotion album features both ‘The Grinch’ and ‘Seinfeld’ in the same context. So that’s the kind of creative these two are working on and you know what else (as out of place as this may seem to compare to) when I first heard the rapping of -shvmire I thought of -Gorillaz

Because in similar fashion, this man has a highly infectious/charismatic take on his performances. He’s colorful, eccentric, complex with his lyricism & quirky at the same time. He does vocabulary gymnastics across the beats with fast paced fun alphabet aerobics with a gift of gab to match!

It’s not just his raw abilities it’s his slick rhythm as well! He’s the type to make any track feel luxurious and high end thanks to his velvet like flows, his mesmerising sense of enunciations and his overall cadence that screams mellow! He’s really bringing it back to the old school alternative Hip-Hop legends like
-Slick Rick
-Q-Tip
-Dave (from De La Soul) in the same manner as them he’s kicking that fly non gangsta shit and instead bringing out that fun, groovy flavour of penmanship that I feel is missing too much in the game today!

I also thought the process of having the -Seinfeld playing in the background while talking that heavy lyricism was genius because it felt like a satire play on the real world. Sitcom playing while death and tragedy are happening in real time, if that was the intention behind the skit well done!

Also, to be able to rap toe to toe with the likes of -Mondo Slade and hold your own is no small feat and yet he makes it look effortless. That to me is a true tester of a man’s status and progress in the future and based on that -shvmire passes with flying colors!

Now onto the production stage of things. This might be my favourite Luca sounds so far! With every new drop he keeps getting better and better with this being his current magnum opus! Let me explain
We can talk about tracks like -24K DESERT EAGLE which starts with those 90’s style cuts and scratches that soon evolve into this surreal Hip-Hop atmosphere with those droning drum patterns and thick plucked bass strings that work hand in hand with those thrilling Jazz horns that remind me of 1980’s action films!

Or what about the track that follows -THE EARTH ISN’T GODLY. What I loved about this one is firstly the sampling of Bigge’s ‘10 Crack Commandments’ running throughout the track, on top of that we have more Jazz Horns but layered in a beautifully composed harmony that I instantly fell in love with! I could listen to that loop for hours and never get sick of, reminded me of live music on the streets of buskers you’d find in the cities that don’t sleep!
This one also has some mesmerising drum beats and subtle bass to further amplify the instrumental! Definitely one of my favourite tracks on the whole album!

I was also quite fond of the track -ALL MEN BEAR ARMS (the title track) for its key-heavy structure. You had those smooth keys that took over the track with its echoing and powerful presence that synced perfectly with those stripped-back drums and thick bass lines!
Arguably the most minimal track on the album but one that packs equal amount of punch!

Honestly when I was first sent this album for review I thought it was gonna be a beat tape and I’m so glad I was mistaken! This one is surprisingly dope with tons of replay value! Don’t believe me? Peep for yourself! And someone hurry up and make a grinch Halloween film that would be sick!