Cult of the Damned – “The Church Of” review

The Cult of the Damned are a hip hop collective from England, United Kingdom consisting of Blah Records founder Lee Scott, BeTheGun, Sly Moon, Salar, Bill Shakes, King Grubb, Tony Broke, Black Josh, Stinkin’ Slumrok, Bisk, Sleazy F Baby, Col. Mustard, Dr. Zygote, Sam Zircon & Reklews. Properly introducing themselves as a unit in 2015 off an eponymous debut EP, a sequel would come in the form of their full-length debut Brick Pelican Posse Crew Gang Syndicate & are getting back together for a sophomore effort.

“Ahem!” begins with this 5 minute posse cut asking over a guitar-driven boom bap instrumental from Nobodies Home if anyone listening has been picking this important signal whereas “Internal Error” talks about being the modern day No Limit Records & everyone else being their children. CLBRKS joins the Cult on “Worship” representing the crew with guns in their hands just before “WTH” finds the B-Movie Millionaires with BeTheGun & Milkavelli talking about them being sick in the head.

BeTheGun brings Sly Moon & Stinkin’ Slumrok besides him on the mic during the piano boom bap crossover “Rotation” realizing the has-beens they used to kick it with amounted up to nothing leading into “Norman’s Theme” talking about them being averagely normal as they come. “AB NO (Red Leicester)” dismantling little league MCs who want to battle them knowing they wouldn’t stand a chance while “W.Y.T.B. (What You Talkin’ ‘Bout?)” ends the 1st half with the Cult posing that very question to people flapping their lips.

“Gung Foo” hits us with another posse cut to start the 3rd quarter continuing to spit battle raps over a boom bap beat while “Skid Row” hilariously disses an adversary claiming to be all the knowledge when they don’t know a damn thing about them at all. “Step” featuring Danny Lover has a bit of a cloudier tone instrumentally talking about their need of succeeding & rewriting the whole game plan while “Good News” featuring Bang On! grittily obliterates rappers with basic penmanship.

To get The Church Of’s last leg going, “Castles” talks about being better off staying inside & smoking weed because of their bent-up whips while “Rear View” fuses jazz rap & boom bap so they can speak of seeing things a lot more clearer than they did previously. “Henny Shots” comes through with a 2-parter where the entire squad’s having a toast & “Brick Pelican’s Lament” finishes by having King Grubb holding down the outro for a solo track of his own.

Diminishing the grime undertones of Cult of the Damned 2: Brick Pelican Posse Crew Gang Syndicate significantly, the 2nd album from the Children of the Damned’s spiritual successor takes themselves beyond their self-titled EP & their previously mentioned debut for a great follow-up to the Cult of the Damned’s early output. The boom bap production’s darker than Brick Pelican Posse Crew Gang Syndicate’s, the inclusion of outside guest appearances was only a matter of time & every member’s verses remind me of the almighty Wu-Tang Clan in that they’re all unique swordsmen of their own category.

Score: 4/5

Swamp Harbour – Self-Titled review

Swamp Harbour is a duo from London, England, United Kingdom consisting of Bisk & Stinkin’ Slumrok. Both of whom are known for being members of the Cult of the Damned collective & have crossed paths with each other a handful of times over the years on tracks like “Catfish” or “Runt” to only name a couple. However after being signed to Blah Records as solo artists for quite some time, they’re ready to properly introduce themselves by joining the label & putting out an eponymous debut album entirely produced by Sam Zircon.

“No Response” featuring Jack Danz after the “Heads Roll” intro was a solid hardcore hip hop opener instrumentally reminiscent of the Wu-Tang Clan single “Can It All Be So Simple?” & after “Marsh Law” featuring HAPPYPPL references WWE Hall of Famer Mr. T talking about dumping bodies in the swamp, “Cantaloupe Island” has a jazzier vibe to the beat dismissing rappers who hit the ground as soon as shit goes down in a session.

King Grubb appears on “Pelican Beach” ruggedly talking about knowing when the Swamps call your name while “Indicity III” finishes a trilogy Morrstinkin’s debut started & Gutter City bridged. “Francs” hooks up a reversed string sample mixed with kicks & snares talking about wanting others’ money when they die & after “Wholegrain” eerily speaks of both artists finding their way up, “Zip Ties” concludes with a lo-fi boom bap outro speaking of keeping it g when shit gets deep.

Bisk & Stinkin’ Slumrok have individually spent the past several years making names for themselves whether you look at their own respective solo discographies or the appearances they’ve made on the Cult of the Damned’s self-titled EP & it’s sequel Brick Pelican Posse Crew Gang Syndicate, but Swamp Harbour’s introduction marks births exciting side project for the UK’s answer to the Army of the Pharaohs. Sam Zircon’s boom bap production is dark, the amount of guests are kept to minimum & we get a better look at the chemistry between both MCs than either of the Cult’s previous discography entries.

Score: 4/5

Bill Shakes – “Eh?” review

This is the full-length studio debut from Blackburn, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom emcee Bill Shakes. Formerly a member of the Children of the Damned collective & currently apart of it’s successor the Cult of the Damned, he would eventually sign to the London imprint Blah Records & have Reklews produce his 2011 solo debut EP For Goodness Shakes. However when I learned that Lee Scott would be handling all of Eh?’s beats by himself, I knew this return for Bill would be special.

The entrancing boom bap instrumental on “Chips ‘n’ Gravy” was a great way to grab listeners’ attention for an intro talking about taking everything he wants for free whereas “Smartprice” featuring King Grubb finds the 2 ruggedly speaking of being the kings of the most high regardless of the altitude. “Tugay Kerimoğlu” shouts out the retired Turkish soccer player of the same name alongside Black Sabbath frontman & WWE Hall of Famer Ozzy Osbourne leading into “Once Upon a Time in Blackburn” telling a story taking place in his hometown.

“Yeah Yeah” ends the 1st half of the LP showing a more aggressive side to Bill from the raw beat to the aggressively confrontational lyricism while “Uvavu Kart 64” featuring King Grubb reunites the 2 so they can assure everything will be ok, but it wouldn’t be alright. “The Legend of B-Town” recalls a hot summer day in 2002 where he was hanging out with friends blending elements of funk & boom bap while “11:30” dustily talks about an assailant running from law enforcement after failing to apprehend him.

Jam Baxter appears on “Lost S07E01” making their own continuation of The Walt Disney Company-owned ABC hit sci-fi adventure drama series that ended back when I was in 7th grade while “Funkpellybrick” featuring Sly Moon hooks up a downtrodden piano sample keeping their mind on others’ money. “U What M8” wraps up Eh?experimenting with hip house & probably has the most repetitive songwriting out of another other track I mentioned previously.

Catching onto Bill Shakes through guest appearances on projects like Leaf Dog’s sophomore effort Dyslexic Disciple or Eric the Red’s debut Caught Red Handed, he makes his comeback nearly a decade later with the most personal material he’s ever conceived. The production’s significantly darker than For Goodness Shakes’ was during my final year of middle school & lyrically, Bill uses this opportunity to thematically gives flowers to the Lancashire town that made him the man we hear in front of us today.

Score: 4/5

Lee Scott – “Lou Reed 2000” review

This is the 7th studio LP from Runcorn, Cheshire, England, United Kingdom emcee, producer & author Lee Scott. Introducing himself through The Wrong Bootleg Demo & the full-length debut Put on the Glasses over a decade ago under his own label Blah Records, some may even recognize him for his memberships with the Antiheroes, the B-Movie Millionaires, the Children of the Damned, Cult Mountain, the Cult of the Damned, Group, HAPPYPPL, Hock Tu Down, the Mcabre Brothers & Nobodies Home. Peppered Mouth Soup & Happy Sellout Shit were ok, but the sophomore effort Stupid Poignant Shit produced by Illinformed would become his most celebrated work following it up with Tin Foil Fronts as well as CactusOwlMoonGoat & the High Focus Records-backed Butter Fly being another favorite of mine. Nice Swan would become as beloved although Supergod5000plus & Oh, the Fun We’re Having were alright. He’s wrapping up 2018 however producing a great deal of Lou Reed 2000 homaging The Velvet Underground’s late frontman of the same name.

After the “Lou Lives” intro, the self-produced title track begins with him talking about turning negatives into positives despite everything in his life being shit whereas “Rocket Fuel” produced by Nobodies Home talks about today not being great yet it’s alright because there’s always yesterday. “Bad Foot Forward” featuring King Grubb finds the pair asking why people are pushing them around & flippin’ a cough on this battery operated machine while “Me Alone” talks about starting a riot because the damage is done.

“Mid Afternoon” continues the 2nd half of the album talking about not having a dream & occasionally waking up in the middle of the afternoon looking to get some food inside him sooner rather than later if after “Foneline ‘06” featuring King Grubb expresses a desire to call someone who doesn’t even call them anymore, “Colossal Jones” featuring Jam Baxter talks about confusing people’s 6th senses & it taking more than a stretch of marble pillars to hold their tongues.

The track “Next Stop” opens up about him constantly thinking of all the things he doesn’t want to do & sending the whole world on a “fuck you” note while the final song “Fuck U Save Me” featuring Sadhugold the “Lou Lives II” outro spends the last few minutes of the full-length with both of them lyrically getting in their hardcore bags, commending some for impressing them the way they take this joke called life so seriously & being nothing like the artists comparing themselves to him.

All 3 of the extended plays Lee Scott has dropped post-Butter Fly still have their share of notable moments despite not considering them to be on par, but Lou Reed 2000 is definitely the most I’ve enjoyed his solo material in a couple years. The production primarily handled by Lee himself with live instrumentation from his Nobodies Home companion Jack Chard occasionally chops up some samples to spend a bulk of the half hour exploring a varied range of sounds from jazz rap to lo-fi hip hop & boom bap cutting down the guest appearances to only a select few for a 30 minute collection of thought provokingly sad philosophical ignorant rap.

Score: 4/5

Hock Tu Down – “Hock Tu 3” review

Hock Tu Down are a duo from Liverpool, Merseyside, England, United Kingdom consisting of producer Reklews alongside Runcorn, Cheshire, emcee/producer & Blah Records founder Lee Scott. Forming in the late 2000s, both members of the Children of the Damned & it’s successor the Cult of the Damned would drop their full-length Prozium Peddlin’ at the end of 2009 & followed it up 9 months later with their debut EP Something Strange. It’s been over 8 years since the latter & these guys are reuniting for a sophomore effort.

“Breakfast” talks about having so much fun in the sun to the point where he might cry over a raw boom bap instrumental whereas “Fanks” takes a more personal approach to Lee’s songwriting speaking of both his parents. “Glenn’s Eye” has a slower vibe to the beat talking about being the ones to explain how shit’s gonna go down leading into “Kit Bag” featuring Milkavelli reunites the Mcabre Brothers referencing former UFC Featherweight Champion & UFC Lightweight Champion Conor McGregor.

As for “Deus Ex Machina”, we have Hock Tu Down giving a fuck less if they impress or disrespect anyone surrounding them working in more kicks & snares with some jazzier undertones just before “1 Tu” talks about reality being what you make of it whether someone’s there cooperating or not. “Game On” featuring Jehst finds the Group talking about life being unfair on top of this slow boom bap instrumental & “Black Hoodie Season” after the “Bengal Tiger” skit moves forward with an autumn ode.

“Yarbles Mahoney” continues the 2nd half of Hock Tu 3 ruggedly talking about being a rare 1-of-1 edition sitting on a lonely shelf while “Honest Daze” featuring Nickelus F & Quelle Chris sees the trio confessing every mistake they made caused them to run & gun more. “Sun D” dustily talks about having nothing to do like it’s a Sunday while “Zip” takes a couple minutes so he can discuss today being a great day to rebel in Hell.

The track “Breathe 101” winds down the album’s final minutes jumping over a gully beat reminding us to take deep breathes regularly & the final song “I Made Some Shit” preceding the compositional 60 second outro sends it all off treading intergalactic boom bap waters instrumentally talking about making more music with the money that Lee’s made off his previous material & tripping on the 12th stair when he was on his way to the pearly gates of heaven.

Prozium Peddlin’ was an outstanding debut for Hock Tu Down & I felt like Something Strange in comparison was ok, but Hock Tu 3 wedges itself in middle behind their inaugural LP almost a decade ago & above the extended play they gave us prior to their hiatus. Waiting for the right time to make a return, Lee Scott takes a batch of boom bap production he’s had from Reklews for some time in middle of him hanging around family & using them as inspiration to write the final product.

Score: 4/5

King Grubb – “Droopy.” review

Lancashire, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer King Grubb making his full-length studio debut. Known for being a former member the Children of the Damned & currently apart of it’s successor the Cult of the Damned, he would make his solo debut in the summer of 2007 by dropping the Mega Dumb Cheap Shit extended play under his original moniker Flash 4dem & fully produced by Blah Records founder Lee Scott. A little over a decade later, he’s bringing in Nobodies Home to produce Droopy. in it’s entirety.

“No Introduction” made for a perfectly synth-driven boom bap opener referencing my favorite WWE superstar in 7-time world champion, 7-time tag team champion & WWE Hardcore Champion The Undertaker whereas “Taglietelle Sandwich” take some more greater approach instrumental talking about nobody fucking with his squad. “Didn’t You Know?” takes the hypnotic boom bap route advising for fanboys to get their pom-poms out while “Hot Dogs” featuring Lee Scott trams up for another jab at wack rappers, furthermore applying the latter subject to the 112 second “Blue Green”.

Getting the 3rd quarter started, we have Grubb comparing his life to “Broke Dice” over an unsettlingly gritty boom bap beat leading into “Bad Samaritan” combines more synthesizers with kicks & snares talking about being the opposite of a charitable person going 0 fucks. “Oui Sag” featuring Sniff heads for a cloudier trap direction going harder than the feelings they harbor if money’s involved & after “No Hands” orchestrally talks about time waiting for no man, “Bud Be Good” finishes with a woozy ode to smoking the finest weed.

Making up for the long gap between this & Mega Dumb Cheap Shit, one of Blah Records’ original signings from its inception returns for an album I wound up enjoying as much as the latter as much as people sleep on that extended play now. Nobodies Home’s production here is a bit more experimental compared to Lee’s on the predecessor 11 years earlier & having both MCs of the trio as the only guest appearances seems appropriate, complimenting King Grubb’s wordplay buoyantly.

Score: 4/5

Cult of the Damned – “Cult of the Damned 2: Brick Pelican Posse Crew Gang Syndicate” review

This is the full-length studio debut from England, United Kingdom collective the Cult of the Damned consisting of Blah Records founder Lee Scott, BeTheGun, Sly Moon, Salar, Bill Shakes, King Grubb, Tony Broke, Black Josh, Stinkin’ Slumrok, Bisk, Sleazy F Baby, Col. Mustard, Dr. Zygote, Sam Zircon & Reklews. Introducing themselves as the Children of the Damned’s spiritual successor in 2015 with an eponymous debut EP, they’re picking up right where they left off on Brick Pelican Posse Crew Gang Syndicate.

“Part 2” begins with a boom bap sequel to the intro of the Cult’s self-titled extended play produced by Dr. Zygote where most of the members are asking if one knows which way to take at an intersection whereas “Salt Water” by the B-Movie Millionaires, Salar & Swamp Harbour references WWE Hall of Famer, 6-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE United States Champion, 14-time WWE tag team champion, 2-time WWE Hardcore Champion, RoW Tag Team Champion & TNA World Tag Team Champion Booker T over a Sam Zircon instrumental.

BeTheGun, Lee Scott, Sly Moon & the Super Sag Bros all appear on “No Explanation” demanding everyone respects them just before Bill Shakes & Tony Broke trade verses over a Reklews beat during “The Usual” referencing UFC ring announcer Bruce Buffer. “From the Depths” has an eerier boom bap vibe instrumentally dismantling anyone who wants to step up to them in a battle leading into “Never No” brings Bill Shakes, Hock Tu Down, King Grubb, Milkavelli & Salar together talk about those who don’t know the deal with the Cult by now never knowing.

“Nicole” gets the other half of the LP going making their own version of “Triumph” dropping 7 verses without the need of a hook while “Civilized” dustily talks about waiting at the top. “Connect 4” finds the Antiheroes joining Bill Shakes & King Grubb for a chorus-less hardcore hip hop track but after “Coffee” has Bisk tagging in for Grubb & the Mcabre Brothers replacing the Antiheroes cautioning people will learn who they are once they start smoking again, “Bad Card” spends the last 4 minutes giving straight bars over a rugged boom bap beat.

Making a broader extension of their self-titled debut EP after I had graduated from high school, the Cult of the Damned dives deeper into their universe making sure all of the wide range of side projects that’ve formed before & after the Children of the Damned’s merger with Cult Mountain are included. The boom bap production contains more elements of grime than their 2015 introduction did albeit to a much lesser extent & lyrically, they’re cementing themselves as one of the most unstoppable forces in all of UK hip hop.

Score: 4.5/5

B-Movie Millionaires – “Attack of the 50,000ft Sweg Lawds from Outer Space” review

The B-Movie Millionaires are a duo from the United Kingdom consisting of Manchester, England emcee Black Josh alongside Runcorn, Cheshire emcee/producer & Blah Records founder Lee Scott. Known for being members of the Cult of the Damned collective, these guys would make their eponymous debut in 2015 with an extended play containing guest appearances from their Cult brethren. However, they’ve decided to hold off on having features for their full-length studio debut & I felt like that was an appropriate move as much as I enjoyed self-titled.

After the intro, the first song “Coool Like Dat” breaks the door down with a boom bap instrumental talking about no one being to blame although it ain’t their fault whereas “Chicken Pill” works in a bell sample speaking of the real always recognizing real & those who know staying aware. “Sw£g Level 9000” talks about them being superhuman leading into “Cult Ho£gun” referencing the inaugural IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン, former 12-time WWE world champion, WWE tag team champion & WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan.

“Camouflage Money” gets the 2nd half going talking about being miles away while “Hawaii” gives off a tropical boom bap vibe to the beat wanting everyone to put their hands in the air. “Whatchusayin” brings back the grit advising anyone approaching them to get to the point & after “River Phoenix” demonstrates some insane cinema wordplay, “Social Media” ends the Millionaires’ full-length debut talking about the negative effects sites like the Meta Platforms-owned Facebook has had on society as a whole.

Between this & of course the B-Movie Millionaires’ introductory EP, I’d say these guys slightly outdid themselves & believe they could make their best work if Black Josh & Lee Scott take some elements from both of their projects & combined them all for a potential sophomore effort. Sam Zircon’s production leans towards the traditional boom bap sound enhanced by Telemachus’ engineering & you get a better look at the chemistry between both members throughout Attack of the 50,000ft Sweg Lawds from Outer Space.

Score: 3.5/5

Super Sag Bros – Self-Titled review

The Super Sag Bros are a duo from Manchester, England, United Kingdom consisting of emcee/producer Black Josh & emcee Sleazy F Baby. Both of whom are members of the Cult of the Damned collective & have crossed paths with each other several times on tracks like “Ohana” or “Gucci Glasses” & “Gang Gvng” to name a few. Looking to elevate themselves to the next level, it doesn’t surprise me that Blah Records is putting out their eponymous debut EP through the London imprint.

We get a cloudy trap instrumental during the intro “28 Grams” talking about levitating in the middle of them getting blazed so much that they’re walking on air & the whole crew looking fresh whereas “Burner” suggests not to call their phones if there isn’t a job for either of the Super Sag Brothers who always stay 1 step ahead. “Paranoia” gets the 2nd half of the EP going by talking about staying stoned on a daily basis while the closer “10 Bud” passes it to the left fusing jazz rap & trap.

Commemorating the process of weed becoming legalized in both the UK & the United States respectively, Black Josh & Sleazy F Baby whip up a 14 minute extended play trading verses over trap production taking secondary influences from jazz rap & cloud rap in time for Black Friday. I might even prefer it a bit more than the B-Movie Millionaires’ eponymous debut EP a few years earlier partly due to the Super Sag Bros having no guest appearances at all despite enjoying nearly ever feature on there.

Score: 4/5

Antiheroes – “Disasterpiece” review

The Antiheroes are a duo consisting of Runcorn, Cheshire, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer & Blah Records founder Lee Scott alongside Sari, Iran emcee/producer Salar. Introducing themselves in 2003 off their debut mixtape Middle Finger Salute, they wouldn’t return until almost a decade later when they dropped their full-length studio debut Flows for the Contemporary Urban Gentleman. However after taking a 6 year hiatus, Lee & Salar have reuniting for an extended play produced by Farma G & having Telemachus handle the engineering process of it all.

“Godnose” dustily begins advising to not stress over anything & to do your thing since they got your back whereas the title track encourages all to follow them on this path towards searching peace. We get some pianos mixed with kicks & snares promising to throw boulders at a “Glass House” just before “No Sleep ‘Till Mars” finishes this Disasterpiece with a quirky boom bap instrumental talking about both of them not losing a step after another lengthy period of inactivity.

It’s not very often where the Antiheroes release new music & almost 15 years since their formation, but I could debate Disasterpiece for only an EP places itself above Flows for the Contemporary Urban Gentleman & Middle Finger Salute in becoming the greatest thing Lee Scott & Salar have ever made together. Farma G’s production here sounds a lot rawer than both of its predecessors & for 4 tracks clocking at over 10 minutes, both of them sure deliver in that short amount of time.

Score: 4/5