The Colony Target Practice EP Earning an HHC Single of the Month title was The Colony’s big break, but the hard work is just beginning. And this EP shows they’re more than happy to roll their sleeves up and keep UK fans happy. Among the battle rhyme threats and bravado the lyrics show plenty of scope and imagination (my brain stream’s full of alligators and piranhas and dead Discovery Channel presenters/my pen’s the placenta – Razor Blades). But don’t get the wrong idea, The Colony want to come hard and beat you over the head with their rhymes. And they do. For me anyway, if the production doesn’t hit as hard the lyrics just get lost. Once again The Colony does the business. As good as Consequence’s beats are, Evil Ed’s contributions (two versions of Razor Blades and Back Up) steal the show in that department though. The downside? Not much. The Your Mum skit half-way through is very skippable – which makes it stand out as the only disposable thing on it. Having seen The Colony tear it up just off Carnaby Street with a bunch of Cardiff emcees (with camera crew in tow, natch) the day before I sat down to listen to the EP, I had ultra-high expectations. These sort of expectations are usually a bad thing – and that is applicable here. Although they kill it on this EP, you can tell it is just (as the title suggests) target practice. The Colony is improving its aim and will be taking people down like a SWAT team in the future. Maybe – just maybe – when the various members’ LPs, as well as the one recorded as a group, drop The Colony will find itself as London hip-hop’s next big thing - Ben Isaacs © ukhh.com 1999 - 2003