Bernadette Price & Terror Van Poo – “Kissing the Ground for Sinners” review

Brooklyn, New York emcee & Ruck Down Records CEO Bernadette Price teaming up with local artist Terror Van Poo & Boston, Massachusetts producer Stu Bangas for a new collaborative extended play. The widow of the late Sean Price of the Boot Camp Clik & Heltah Skeltah, she’s made a few appearances on songs in the past whether it be her late husband’s posthumous offering Imperius Rex or even with the likes of RJ Payne, Rim, the Snowgoons, Ruste Juxx & Vic Spencer. She finally made her solo debut last spring with A Widow’s Cry & to commemorate what would’ve been Ruck’s 54th birthday, it only makes sense for her & Terror to drop Kissing the Ground for Sinners.

After the intro, “Burden of Proof” starts with both of them hopping over a boom bap instrumental to talk about these rappers being bitches & masking it by claiming they’re real whereas “Big Trouble” eerily cautions that they got the gunplay as well as the street credit. “Trust in God” has a creepier vibe to the beat talking about having more faith in Higher Power & their guns more than people leading into “Food” featuring Leanah Cane aggressively proclaiming there to be no one nicer than them.

“Fuck You” gets the 2nd half of the EP going by giving middle fingers to everybody & instrumentally embracing a somber tone just before “Gunn Butt” jazzily talks about them having the ability to change perceptions overnight. The title track finds both of them looking to smoke any & all clowns who come in their direction while “Brownsville O.G.” blends a piano sample with some kicks & snares representing their stomping grounds to end the EP.

Terror Van Poo already had a few appearances on A Widow’s Cry almost a year earlier, so the idea of him doing an entire EP with Bernadette Price rapping over Stu Bangas production to honor her late husband’s legacy seemed like it could that LP & it sure enough does. Stu’s beats here hit significantly harder than Kissing the Ground for Sinners’ predecessor & we get a look at the artistic chemistry between both New Yorkers rather than continuing to present what Sean’s widow can offer as a solo artist.

Score: 4.5/5

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