Braintax Panorama LP
It’s been five years coming, but Braintax’s follow up to the now classic ‘Biro Funk’ has been worth all the wait. Like a fine wine that ages well, Braintax’s new offering reminds you of all the good things that hip hop can be and that regardless of the country of origin, the accent or the content, what really matters is the music. The man needs little introduction, having been a mainstay of the UK scene for over 10 years and providing it with one its finest labels, Low Life Records.
With ‘Panorama’ Joey Brains shows he still has what it takes to deliver an album that is strong throughout, showing little weakness in any area. The subject matter is wide and varied: from political raps to party vibes, to girl stories to social comments. But the trick is it never sounds tired or forced – thanks in part to the production but mainly because Braintax knows how to handle the mic and make it sound good, whether he talks about Palestinian suicide bombers or spending his last tenner on having a good time.
The more politically minded tracks, including ‘Syriana Style’ and ‘The Grip Again’, are the highlights for me – managing to combine in your face, relevant lyrics and subject matter with a vibe and feel that never sounds out of place. On ‘The Grip Again’ his retelling of the life of a suicide bomber is remarkable – not only because this is the type of subject matter that few people deal with today, but because it’s done exactly the right way. It’s not patronising or all-knowing, but honest. And that’s what we need more of today, honest opinions to make people think for themselves.
Elsewhere we’ve got the excellent ‘Anti-Grey’ with Dubbledge, a grimey, bumping beat that wouldn’t be out of place on most dancefloors and over which the two trade lyrics about race and home affairs. Beat Butcher’s offering on ‘Run The Yards’ is remarkable for its disregard of quantization while Ghost drops a lovely beat on ‘Pick a Subject’ for Braintax and Verb T to dissect. ‘Back to the Riviera’ is a nod to ‘Riviera Hustle’ which appeared on ‘Biro Funk’ and ‘Good or Bad’ with Mystro touches on relationships, in a laidback, laughing manner that these two have accustomed us to.
The music comes from a selection of producers, including Braintax himself, and keeps the consistency of the album going throughout – add to that Braintax’s flow, delivery and subject matter, some choice skits and you have an album that offers a truly breathtaking panorama of the world today. Five years might be a long time in world politics, but in hip hop it’s the right amount of time to let someone like Braintax do what he does best. Quite possibly the best UK album of the year. Don’t miss it, who knows how long it’ll be till the next one.
Five years might be a long time in world politics, but in hip hop it’s the right amount of time to let someone like Braintax do what he does best
- Kper
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