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Currently residing in the sticks, I can assure you that living out of town has a few advantages. It allows you to observe the scene from a certain distance without getting caught up in the bullshit and politics. Unfortunately, having that distance from the centre of the culture sometimes means you’re a little slower to pick up on hot products. I’ve been checking this CD for about two months now, although the title suggests that the tracks here could be at least two years old. A couple of the verses here will be familiar to those who checked the freestyle collabo with Bronz on the darkest section of the first Dark and Cold Untapped series. Over some dusted beats courtesy of Melanin Heights - Cuba, Kobayashi, Culture, and General Lansunn brought it strong for the Eastside of London with some classic lines that hit Bin Laden deep. That freestyle was just a small taste of the styles found on this 80 minute slice of the good shit. Be warned though it’s not for the faint hearted; this is verbal terrorism of the highest quality. The introduction to the trenches comes in the form of an insane Starsky and Hutch/70s kung fu hybrid, which in turn slides into the sweetest of dubbed out loops that will echo round your skull for the duration. A kaleidoscopic last post call to arms begins ‘E8 Clapper Capital’ before we’re blessed with consecutive verses that are delivered with such gusto you’ll be reminded of why ‘Straight Outta Compton’ was so fucking dope; but this is straight outta Hackney and all the better for it. Some might think it’s an insular point of view and that representing your manor that hard won’t get you a wider audience. I think the sentiments expressed by the crew are right on the money. If your product is good enough you’ll bring the audience into your world and they’ll appreciate what you’ve got to say even more because they’ll realise that it’s a totally original point of view. This is an uncompromising tour of Hackney barracks with more pebbles flying around than the south coast drag; that’s not to say that the subject matter is limited to the trials of road. In fact the lyrical content is vast, covering topics that range the whole spectrum of human emotion from local battles to the sentiments you might share with your girl in those quiet moments on ‘No Ordinary Love Song’. All delivered with a cockney swagger that would have Guy Ritchie pissing his mockney pants. The chemistry between the emcees is evident throughout and everyone brings a little something different to the table. You can almost picture Culture with his foot on your skull while Cuba D and Lansunn rip you to shreds, with Kobayashi bringing the mystic abstractions to fuck with your grey matter. Don’t get it twisted though because they all switch positions throughout the set adding a nice variety and perspective. Special props go out to Cuba who comes with the mad lisping flow that takes a while to get used to but will have you totally hooked after a couple of spins. There’s even a tenderness and honesty about the harder tracks that comes from the obvious Caribbean influence, helping to inject soul into the set that’s so lacking in a lot of recent hip-hop output. All the tracks stand up individually but it’s hard to pick out highlights from such a tight set that works so well as an overall concept. The bassy, metallic insanity of ‘Jane Valentine’ will reel you in and I can guarantee by the time the title track kicks in you’ll be fiending for more like those lost souls down Kings Cross. Joined by the more than capable Esp and Strappa, everyone shines over a Star Wars sample that could have so easily turned a lighter shade of cheddar, and it’s a testament to the production skills on display that this is more Empire than Phantom Menace. It’s a crime that more people haven’t been exposed to this. Anyone who does things on their own terms and to such a high standard deserves support from people that are apparently living this culture. You get the feeling this is the sort of uncompromising slice of truth that faceless record company bandits would find impossible to corrupt. When was the last time you heard a hip-hop lp that had no scratching on it and no specific references to any other artists on the scene? Another two fingers then to all the industry types that want to segregate and make trendy certain elements of the culture in an attempt to divide us. To only release this on CD is a shame for all heads but in a way it just adds to the mystique. Those with a good ear will know. Do you think Rodney would name check some half-arsed business for no reason? If you are from out of town and want the hook up then I’m sure the man Disorda will deliver the goods in the usual fashion, or you can contact them direct at twelvestoneproductions@hotmail.com. Any crew that can come up with lines as concise and loaded as ‘fight back like Tron’ deserve our support. Coming like a real life Rebel Alliance, this is the album Capone and Nore could have made if they hadn’t sold the fuck out. Quality.
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