This is the sophomore effort from Brighton, England, United Kingdom producer/emcee Leaf Dog. Known for being amongst the best UK hip hop groups in recent memory The 4 Owls as well as the 3 Amigos & Brothers of the Stone, he eventually branched out on his own in the summer of 2011 by dropping the solo debut From a Scarecrow’s Perspective under High Focus Records to moderate reception although I enjoyed what he was going for with it. Fast forward almost 6 years later, the Dyslexic Disciple has returned.
After the intro, “The Rain” begins with a self-produced boom bap opener talking about fulfilling prophecies with the words he’s rhyming never playing the fool until he made himself one whereas “Big Egos” basically takes jabs at artists who become full of themselves due to success. “Know Myself” gets on some introspective vibes lyrically admitting that there are times where he doesn’t even know who he is just before “Today” talks about living right from this very moment forward.
“It’s on You” works in some grungy sampling chops asking what one would do when they start to feel like this music shit was never meant for them leading into “Glass Eye” produced by Illinformedtalking about things seeming to be better when he looks back at it. “All in 1” ends the 1st half of Dyslexic Disciple reminding the UK hip hop movement that his squad carved a new lane in the underground while “Pro Cultivation” featuring Smellington Piff comes together to talk about weed for the stoners including myself.
Meanwhile on “My Scene”, we have Leaf Dog welcoming everyone to the part of his native country where he’s trying to build a career for himself from the bottom up & saving pennies to get by a new day prior to “Window” jazzily catching an individual who was watching the Leigh Brothers again since he made it clear that this wasn’t the 1st time it happened. “Linguistics” hooks up a classy sample shouting out all the misfits listening while “Good Times” featuring Dabbla joins forces for a soulful anthem to play during celebratory occasions.
“Last Laugh” featuring BVA finds the Real Life Drama Records founders still giving the system’s many faces middle fingers while “The Reminder” featuring BVA & Kool Keith unites the trio so they can talk about owning hip hop to this day. “The Legacy” by The 4 Owls featuring Bill Shakes, Cracker Jon, Dirty Dike, Eric the Red, Jack Jetson, Jehst, King Kashmere, Klashnekoff, MysDiggi, Phi-Life Cypher, Remus, Smellington Piff, Sonnyjim & the Task Force sends it all off with a 7 & a half minute High Focus posse cut.
Noticeably more expansive than From a Scarecrow’s Perspective was when I had finished middle school, Dyslexic Disciple marks Leaf Dog’s return to the mic for the duration of an entire full-length & one that surpasses it’s predecessor on all fronts. He only handles a little over half of the production here than he did last time, but it feels more sonically expansive than the previous LP was & Leaf’s pen has gotten sharper since focusing on producing for other artists amassing a stacked list of local collaborators & veterans to be right beside him.
Score: 4.5/5
Legends Will Never Die 