Genesis Elijah Deh Pon Road LP
7/10
The debut LP from Genesis Elijah hit home this July, and looks set to give him the basis for a big place in the UK hip hop scene. Featuring guest spots from Terra Firma, Skinnyman and Wordsmith, there’s enough here to promise great things
Standout tracks from Deh Pon Road’s 18 are the massive single “Jah Bless”, featuring Klashnekoff. Massive synths and bass collide with a rousing chorus to make for a great club track. Later on the album come the high points – “How It Goes” and “More To Life” are both sublime, and as good as anything you’ll hear this year.
Unfortunately the rest of the album never quite touches these heights, and occasionally sags badly. That seems to be due to the current vogue for long albums – people seem to think that because a CD holds 70 minutes, they’ve got to try to fill it. I can’t help but think that if this had been trimmed down to 12-13 tracks, it could have been a classic.
To be fair, Gen never lets his rhyme standard slip, its just the beats that occasionally let him down. But on the whole this is a very good debut, and really suggests that he can go places. Whether he’s reflecting on urban poverty or gun crime, or just how he gets through his days as an MC, he always has something worth listening to.
A strong debut, occasionally touching greatness. Expect more from him
- Santero
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