Coops – “Crimes Against Creation” review

London, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer Coops ending his High Focus Records tenure with an extended play full of material. Introducing himself during my adolescence off his full-length debut What Do You See? as well as Lost Soul, & God Complex, his High Focus debut No Brainer would be welcomed to mixed reception & Life in the Flesh was later received more positively a few months later. To begin the 2nd half of what has already been a disastrous 2020, he looks to outdo both in the form of Crimes Against Creation.

“Boom Biddy Bye” breaks the gate down with this old school boom bap instrumental from Talos dismantling all lyrical opponents in his path whereas “Factory Reared” jazzily talks about being fed up with all these rappers to the point of wanting to kill them. “Bring the Fire” works in a vibraphone with some kicks & snares talking about blazing the spot up just before “Piss Poor” eerily tackles the fear he has of becoming broke from a financial point of view.

Starting the 2nd half, “Laws of Nature” blends jazz rap & boom bap once more talking about being seen as either a threat to humanity or a savior just before the title track turns up the jazzier elements telling his story the way it happened refusing any other negotiations. “Profile” takes the lo-fi boom bap route stylistically recalling the time a woman gave him a number of her’s to dial & “End Times” jazzily finishes by talking about living in the middle of the apocalypse beginning.

In the midst of COVID-19 shutting the whole entire world down for 4 months & counting, Crimes Against Creationcomes across significantly darker than what Coops has done previously providing the soundtrack for these times of uncertainty we’re experiencing all across the globe. Taking inspiration from the greats instead of what’s current, the jazzy boom bap production feels nostalgically reminiscent of 90s east coast hip hop such as Mobb Deep facing issues like the current state of hip hop & politics directly.

Score: 3.5/5

Coops – “Life in the Flesh” review

This is the 5th studio LP from London, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer Coops. Introducing himself in 2013 off his full-length debut What Do You See? to mixed reception, the sophomore effort Lost Soul would be more positively received & the last album God Complexat the beginning of the previous year would be released to moderate feedback although it did catch the attention of High Focus Records. He made his debut for the UK’s most prominent hip hop label 5 months ago in the form of a No Brainer, following it up with Life in the Flesh.

The title track begins with a boom bap instrumental from Talos talking about living life to the fullest & getting his powers from above despite being skin, blood & bones whereas “Cold World” ruggedly breaks down how cruel people can be on this planet. “Rude Bwoi” talks about being immune to disrespect because he’s been on some rude shit from Day 1 & that being why bitches wanna chat with him just before “The Screen” eerily guarantees everyone they won’t hear anything this surreal.

“Guerillas” has to be one of my favorite Coops songs ever made from the summery beat to the lyrics about representing a whole different kind of breed leading into the drumless “Lift Off” portraying flashbacks of a previous life & slathering his vocals in auto-tune on the hook. “Free Up” gives off a militant vibe talking about bringing positivity being the only thing he’s trying to offer the world while “Sirens” tropically opens up to the criminal offenses he made during his youth.

After the “Irrelevant Material” skit, “Back to School” spends 88 seconds wittily putting himself inside the shoes of a teacher lecturing a classroom while “Place Called Home” has this luxurious boom bap aura instrumentally talking about being in the hood with his Gs. “Crowded” calmly vents over his search of a place where he can get a peace of mind but after “Fresh Air” talks about praying for a good day every morning, “If I Die” finishes Life in the Flesh wanting the world to know the way he would like his death to be handled when that day comes.

Thematically based around the cycle of life as well as death & reincarnation of the spirit/soul, Coops quickly follows up No Brainer starkly reminding the world of life being a test within itself in addition to some of the hardest & most important obstacles we have to overcome being the ones in our minds despite already facing many societal & worldly hurdles as it already is. The production’s more boom bap oriented than Life in the Flesh’s predecessor was, conveying the message of everything that happens in the middle makes us who we are & our decisions or choices shaping our futures both in this life & quite possibly the afterlife too.

Score: 3.5/5

Coops – “No Brainer” review

Here we have the 4th studio LP from London, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer Coops. Introducing himself in 2013 off his full-length debut What Do You See? to mixed reception, the sophomore effort Lost Soul would be more positively received & the last album God Complex at the beginning of the previous year would be released to moderate feedback although it did catch the attention of High Focus Records. The latter wound up signing Coops & he’s ready to make his official debut under the historic Hove, East Sussex underground imprint with a No Brainer.

“Timing” starts us off hopping over a cloudy, self-produced trap instrumental talking about pissing on all of his enemies & getting money whereas “Dreams (All Mine)” takes a moodier vibe to the beat wanting to hear the love of his life moaning when he shouldn’t be calling her whatsoever. The 3rd single “What You Want” psychedelically promises his girl that he’ll tell her everything she’d like to hear leading into “Wrongs & Rights” talking about how he’s never known an ordinary life because he’s an extraordinaire.

Meanwhile on “Heartbreaker”, we have Coops over these pianos & hi-hats from Talos admitting that he should’ve warned this woman from the get go of him being good at breaking hearts just before the 4th & final single “Jetpack” talks about not wanting to stay broke because he comes from absolutely nothing. “L.O.V.E.” goes for a synth-heavier vibe instrumentally asking if those listening can feel the melodies prior to the 2nd single “Bob Dylan”cautions he’ll still kill anyone he doesn’t like despite chillin’ like a villain.

“Mac n’ Cheese” continues to delve deeper down the 2nd half No Brainer returning to the boom bap trying to feed some of that good ol’ fashioned soul food to the public & nobody doing this music shit the way he can but after “Respect” jazzily suggests that those around him should learn & show admiration towards his musical accomplishments in the past 5 years, “Think About It” vividly details him having 3rd degree heartburns due to a woman he’s no longer speaking to stealing his heart like it was a burglary.

The song “Constellations” continues to discuss the themes of love knowing this person would find their way similarly to an asteroid hurdling itself towards the globe while “Pass the Mic” featuring Fliptrix, Leaf Dog & ReXx finds the quartet over a vintage boom bap beat trading hardcore bars with each other, with Flip & Leaf’s contributions sticking out more than ReXx’s in my opinion. The lead single “That Jazz” closes by combining jazz rap & boom bap saving some of the most charismatic performances for last.

Showcasing the versatility of Coops’ craft containing many sounds & moods over the course of 41 minutes, No Brainer represents the different approaches when he was creating his High Focus debut nearly reaching the same caliber of Lost Soul in addition to offering a little something for everyone & displaying everything which makes him a good signing for the label. The production ranges from more experimentally modern soundscapes to hardcore traditional boom bap & Coops himself travels beyond the mundane in favor of uncharted territories.

Score: 3.5/5