Eric the Red – “The Red Alert” review

Bristol, England, United Kingdom emcee Eric the Red starting 2025 with his 3rd studio LP. Known for being the brother of Illinformed & Real Life Drama Records co-founder Leaf Dog of The Four Owls, he would also become 1/3 of the Creatures of Habit & 1/4 of NLP in addition to forming his own label Lost Scroll Records almost a decade ago. His compositional solo EP Basement Blues dropped in 2016 & the In My Element beat tape followed as did the Illinformed-produced debut album Caught Red Handed. Coming off Broken Ear Drum & more recently the sophomore effort Painting da Town Red under Illin’ for Meds Records, he’s having Leaf fully produce The Red Alert.

“Wins & Sins” begins with a symphonic boom bap instrumental talking about having to risk yourself in part of making your dreams come true whereas “The Good, the Bad & the Druggies” works in some pianos speaking of benefiting his by pushing buggies or moving weight for baby necessities. “Place of the Lost” featuring Verbz finds the 2 dismissing their competition’s reputation for being a parody of itself just before the crooning “Champagne” featuring Leaf Dog talks about delivering Christmas presents via a spaceship in 2021.

“Candies”, we have Leaf flipping organs mixing some kicks & snares in the picture for Eric to get more sexual lyrically leading into “Black Hole Wisdom” featuring Killah Priest soulfully linking the 2 up so they individually hold their own composure dissecting the track together. “The Fish Scale Tale” chops up more soul samples talking about the downsides of cocaine addiction while the jazzy boom bap fusion “Bentley” talks about people becoming envious of Lost Scroll’s success.

“Bad Luck” reaches the halfway point of The Red Alert hauntingly shrugging off the idea that he’d look back at his past feeling remorseful while the 109 second “Asgard” featuring Leaf Dog jazzily reunites the 2 siblings on the mic to drop lyrical braggadocio. “Shut It All Down” also featuring Leaf Dog sticks around so both of the Leigh Brothers can talk about being professionals with the mic while “Don’t Be Scared” features Leaf Dog again likening themselves to sleeping giants.

Eric holds the fort down by himself again for “Duck & Dive” hopping over a violin-infused beat talking about conquering the whole entire map with Leaf but after “Takes Practice” carries over the orchestral boom bap aesthetics explaining that it takes preparation to acquire the kind of skills has, “Sepia” soulfully advises those looking for a sign to hold their loved ones closely & grief doesn’t become easier the more time passes.

“Pappa’s Brothers” featuring Leaf Dog kicks off The Red Alert’s final moments talking about burning weed tags by the numbers & laughing at undercover cops driving past them due to them being so wild while “3 Kings” featuring Leaf Dog & Sonnyjim hops over a prominent woodwind for all 3 of them to flex their royalty status. “Last Lesson” finishes with Eric talking about smoking kush to help him sleep at night & his squad being a bunch of baboons hopping off the balcony spraying up houses.

I’ve been hoping for Eric the Red to have Leaf Dog produce an entire body of work for a minute now & since The Red Alert has arrived, I’d comfortably rank it in the top 3 amongst the Lost Scroll CEO’s discography alongside Caught Red Handed & Painting da Town Red. Leaf’s boom bap production is more rawer than Illinformed’s jazzier sound obviously, his 6 guest appearances all combined make a great showcasing at both Leigh’s’ performative chemistry & Eric going as hard as he did a year earlier.

Score: 4/5

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Eric the Red – “Painting da Town Red” review

Here we have the sophomore effort from Bristol, England, United Kingdom emcee Eric the Red. Known for being the brother of Illinformed & Real Life Drama Records co-founder Leaf Dog of The 4 Owls, he would also become 1/3 of the Creatures of Habit & 1/4 of NLP in addition to forming his own label Lost Scroll Records almost a decade ago. His compositional solo EP Basement Blues dropped in 2016 & the In My Element beat followed as did the Illinformed-produced debut album Caught Red Handed. Coming off Broken Ear Drum, he’s releasing Painting da Town Red under Illin’ for Meds Records.

“Need in Your Life” sets up shop with a jazzy boom bap instrumental reaffirming that his biggest goal is to be the highest man alive whereas “Same Day” featuring Jack Jetson works in some vibraphones suggesting they’re addicts for narcotics still carrying them in their pockets now. “DNA” featuring Leaf Dog finds the 2 siblings over a grungy boom bap beat talking about hip hop being in all 3 of the Leigh’s blood when that can’t be disputed while “Again & Again” jazzily flexes he’s on his grind again.

As for “Krylon”, we have Eric & Illinformed keeping it in the basement stylistically talking about how he’s still looking for a rooftop to climb on leading into “Day Shifting” ominously recalling him growing up around shoplifting. “Mind’s Gone” turns up the eeriness talking about the drugs filled a gap despite him losing his mind in the process while “Route 66” featuring Smellington Piff brings the pair together warns of the long way back from Hell’s gates.

“Danger” kicks off the final leg of Painting da Town Red darkly advising not to be a threat to your own health dismembering crews while “Lock & Key” featuring Crossbow T links up so they can cook up something monstrous although it’s not a favorite of mine personally. “Super Fiends” references the alter ego of the Warner Bros. subsidiary DC Entertainment-owned Batman franchise until “Switching the Keys” finishes up by flying to the future using a hoverboard & cutting snakes in the grass.

Broken Ear Drum certainly has a good share of moments that’re absolutely worth going back to, but Painting da Town Red joins the same ranks as Caught Red Handed in being amongst Eric the Red’s greatest solo material & simultaneously could become one of my favorite projects to come out of Illinformed’s own label named after his solo debut album. The latter’s jazzy boom bap production here is a lot stronger than Broken Ear Drum, the guest list is kept to a minimum & Eric lyrically continues to set himself apart from Leaf exceptionally.

Score: 4/5

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Creatures of Habit – “Parasite’s Paradise” review

The Creatures of Habit are a boom bap trio consisting of Bristol, England, United Kingdom emcees Eric the Red & Sean Peng alongside London producer Illinformed. Introducing themselves collectively in the fall of 2016 off their debut album Test Subjects under Real Life Drama Records, these guys would go on to spend the next 5 years focusing towards their own individual endeavors & have decided to make a comeback in the form of a sophomore effort through the Glastonbury, Somerset underground imprint for old time’s sake.

“Faking No Moves” cooks up a horror-inspired boom bap instrumental to start us off talking about having 0 time to be doing that bullshit whereas “Still Buggin’” works in some pianos mixed with kicks & snares to describe courts wanting to search on top of the police duckin’ ‘em. “I Keep It Me” featuring Datkid goes for a jazzier vibe talking about staying true to themselves just before “No Smoke” ruggedly dismantles anyone wanting beef with them.

Leaf Dog & Pertrelli join the Creatures on “Won’t Lie” combining more keys, kicks & snares to talk about always blowing out speakers in addition to rocking out guest appearances leading into “2 Tokes” featuring BVA links up for a playfully jazzy weed smoker’s anthem. “Bug’s Life” sounds more like a brief Eric the Red solo cut clocking at only 66 seconds in length while the soulful “Alone” featuring Leaf Dog regroups to talk about loneliness.

“Deadly Techniques” continues the 2nd half of Parasite’s Paradise trading hardcore verses with one another over a rigged boom bap beat regarding their lyricism still being gruesome as it was when they initially formed & after “The Devil’s Hands” talking about crime paying although those committing them eventually taking responsibility for their actions in due time, “Strange Trip” featuring Jack Jetson crosses paths with one another to drop 3 verses of speaking of their status amongst an endangered species of MCs.

The song “Brain Surgery” by Sean Peng counters Eric’s solo joint “Bug’s Life” earlier on turning the jazz influences to instrumentally leaving the people who fall in traps right where they are while “Wormhole” brings both spitters back together on the mic so they can take a few minutes to talk about the world becoming more dystopian than science fiction. “Hands of Time” finishes the Creatures’ return wraps things up with 1 last jazz rap/boom bap fusion confessing that there are moments in their lives where they wish they’d go back & fix which I do to, but we can’t.

It’s not very often when the Creatures of Habit appear on a song or make a musical statement of their own considering the gap between this & Test Subjects, but what I can say regarding their 2nd album is that I like it a lot more than it’s predecessor 6 years prior. Illinformed’s boom bap production is a lot more jazzier than Test Subjects’ was for fans of jazz rap like myself, there’s a respectably shorter guest list & the chemistry between Eric the Red and Sean Peng continues to elevate one another in terms of performances.

Score: 4.5/5

Eric the Red – “Caught Red Handed” review

This is the full-length debut album from Bristol, England, United Kingdom emcee Eric the Red. Known for being the brother of Illinformed & Real Life Drama Records co-founder Leaf Dog of The 4 Owls, he would also become 1/3 of the Creatures of Habit & 1/4 of NLP in addition to forming his own label Lost Scroll Records on Halloween 2016. His compositional solo EP Basement Blues dropped in 2016 & the In My Element beat tape followed, teaming with Illinformed in getting Caught Red Handed.

“Redrum” opens up with a jazz rap intro talking about his liver getting fucked up from drinking too much alcohol whereas “Eyes Open” featuring Datkid & Paro of the Split Prophets brings the trio together so they can aggressively play the upper hand. “Mr. Paranoid” goes for a boom bap vibe instrumentally talking about his own personal experiences of paranoia leading into the crooning “Lift Off” speaking of going around the galaxy & nebula.

Bill Shakes joins Eric on “Lah Lah Lah” ruggedly suggesting to run far if both of them come walking down your street & after the “Raid” skit, “Omen” embraces a bluesy boom bap atmosphere talking about him watching shit unfold from the blinds when they weren’t expecting it. “Limbo” keeps the kicks & snares in tact speaking of being in a state of intermediate uncertainty showing some occasionally jazzy undertones while “Sleepless Nights” soulfully gets in his bag as a storyteller describing an evening around his parts.

“Burning” featuring Leaf Dog links up over a violin observing the state of the world while “Mankind” talks about never knowing what you’ll find awaiting your fate. “Track & Walls” dedicates itself to hip hop’s oldest element in graffiti writing while “Year of the Snake” blends jazz rap & boom bap suggesting maybe it’s time for him to break out because of what he initially perceived 2018 to be. “Analogy” ends the LP incorporating heavy organs talking about returning with a new similarity.

In My Element proved to be a solid introduction to Eric the Red’s artistic dexterity since he fully produced that project all by himself, but Illinformed has already built up an impressive repertoire behind the boards throughout the 2010s & unsurprisingly helps his brother surpass that tape. Illinformed remains amongst the most consistent beatsmiths in the jazz rap/boom bap fields of the decade & Eric lyrically goes a lot harder than he did 7 months prior.

Score: 4/5