King Kashmere – “TR3B” review

London, England, United Kingdom emcee King Kashmere recruiting Wolverhampton, West Midlands production duo Letherette for his 3rd EP. Notable for being a part of several groups or duos over the last few decades ranging from Kingdom of Fear & Invisible Inc. to Gawd Status as well as Old Children & Strange U, he also has 4 full-length solo albums & a couple of extended plays under his belt with the most recent being Motherbox. Signing to High Focus Records recently, he’s ready to make his debut for the label with TR3B a couple months after Ricky Knight Jr. became a 2-time RPW British Heavyweight Champion.

“G-Cell” starts off with a futuristic boom bap instrumental talking about being in his own different lane lyrically & covering his stomach in armor while “Black Knight Satellite” hooks up some synthesizers to get the audience hyped for the mysteries of life. The final song “Snake Pie” takes a bit of a bombastic approach to the beat wondering if humanity’s ghost will find another host before insanity approaches leading into “T-33” finishing off in the form of this compositional outro catered towards Andy Harber & Richard Roberts’ signature house sound.

Meeting each other roughly a decade ago after performing in the same boiler room & connecting through a shared love of the same genre-blurring styles that’ve defined their respective careers, it was only a matter of time until King Kashmere locked in with Letherette to give their fans something worth celebrating & it could possibly be considered Chuck Enzo’s finest EPs years to come from now. Andy & Richard’s production is heavily centered around their experimentations of the 2010s compared to Motherbox and The Iguana Man lyrically finds himself stuck between thought & feeling.

Score: 4/5

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CMPND – “Eagle Court II: Long Live the Court” review

Brighton, England, United Kingdom trio CMPND consisting of Kemastry, Wundrop & Vitamin G back for a sophomore effort. All 3 of which are lyricists in their own right & Wundrop in particular being their in-house producer. The historic Hove, East Sussex underground imprint High Focus Records signed them & their debut album Eagle Court named after the residential flats these guys grew up together. It has since been demolished, reforming to make a sequel saying Long Live the Court.

“Ain’t Gonna Fold” produced by none other than Wundrop begins with this uncanny trap instrumental talking about never backing down from anything whereas “Weaintplayin” works in some strings & hi-hats cautioning that they ain’t fucking around with anybody. “Court in Session” radiates a psychedelic trap vibe assuring that they ain’t bitches begging for sympathy while “Acid Reign” asks why live life on a timer when the money winds up evaporating.

Meanwhile regarding “Nice Riot”, we have CMPND over this unsettling beat homaging the song “Riot Akt” off Gang Starr’s penultimate album The Ownerz prior to Hutch joining the 3 for “Illeagle Court II” following up the themes of it’s predecessor Hutch also made an appearance on off the original Eagle Court album. “D.I.T.D. (Down In The Dumps)” shifts in favor of an ominous atmosphere dissing rappers relying on clout while “The Culprit” talks about fucking up their lives to finish the 2nd quarter.

“Pick a Card” starts the 2nd half passionately speaking of the only thing they can do is being themselves & do what they do grippin’ mics until “Skrewed” featuring Bil Next finds the quartet getting back to the killstreak they’ve been needing for a bit. “Guaranteed Wins” dustily talks about indifference being a bigger disease than death itself than just before “Tiny Violin” featuring Datkid & PAV4N viciously boasts of their own grind.

The soulfulness of “Playinu” hits quite perfectly talking about their best their be the greatest versions of themselves doing his things daily and it’s The Truman Show while “Suh Quelle” hypnotically acknowledges a comparison between Vitamin G & Danny Brown, which I can’t argue being a Detroiter myself. “Went There” on the other hand carries forward talking about taking it to lengths others didn’t think they could when Eagle Court exists.

“Bojangles Jesus” embraces a cavernously woozy atmosphere instrumentally advising to stay clever with everything you do until the due respect comes while “Crazy Town” returns to the boom bap talking about still pursuing the dream despite it not being what it used to be because of the culture forever evolving. “Griezmann” featuring Truemendous finishes Eagle Court II: Long Live the Court with both High Focus labelmates rightfully boasting their status amongst the best around their necks of the woods.

I’d still prefer Eagle Court between the 2 full-lengths CMPND has given us so far, but the successor Long Live the Court will still satisfy fans of the group for it’s solid testament of staying true to themselves. Kemastry, Vitamin G & Wundrop pick up right where they left off 3 years earlier mixing insanity, debauchery, pain, pleasure, introspection & surrealism into a deludamolic delicacy of raucously depraved antics admirably carrying the former housing flats’ spirit gracefully.

Score: 3.5/5

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Truemendous – “The Misdiagnosis of Chyvonne Johnson” review

Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom emcee Truemendous making her full-length studio debut. Introducing herself in 2015 off her debut EP Whoremonal Moodswings, she continued to build momentum with the trilogy P.S. This Is Your Mother Calling began & bridged by P.S. This is Your Father Calling. The final chapter P.S. This is Your Aunty Calling eventually caught the attention of High Focus Records, who dropped her 5th EP Huh? right when the COVID-19 pandemic began. However, she’s ready to take the next step in her evolution & is ready to start the 2nd quarter of the year dissecting The Misdiagnosis of Chyvonne Johnson a couple months succeeding Jamie Hayter becoming a 2-time RPW British Women’s Champion.

“Cause a Scene” comes out the gate with an aggressive boom bap intro talking about her being on the verge of drumming up a disturbance within the UK hip hop scene whereas “Probably Right (Too)” pens a cavernous open letter that Telemachus cooked up to her lover suggesting his parents are right in regards of her being too good for him. “Y” featuring Kofi Stone goes for a jazzy boom bap vibe thanks to Illinformed tackling themes of heartbreak while “Worst Child” asks if one loves themselves over a rich yet dusty beat.

As for “Selfish Behavior”, we have Truemendous spending 9 minutes fusing boom bap as well as neo-soul & a hint of trap telling her partner that she’s coming with whenever he decides to leave her just before “You Don’t Wanna” gives off a cloudier trap vibe instrumentally courtesy of Wundrop so she can give some shine to the unique flow that got her a label deal 13 months earlier for 100 seconds. “You Don’t Like Me Because” takes the jazzy boom bap route with the help of Dirty Dike for a message directed at all the people who doubted her while “Free Food” moodily talks about only being somewhere she didn’t want to be because of the complimentary nourishments.

“Crying of Laughter” begins the 2nd half with an atmospheric trap beat explaining that she’s only shedding tears of amusement because she wants to cry over the very person she has in mind while she was writing this while “Spirit & Breanna” celebrates the impression of her having no competition whatsoever. “Mood Ring” incorporates some synthesizers to talk doing people wrong or right depending on how she’s feeling while the J Dilla-inspired “Browkeee” celebrates entrepreneurship.

The sequel to “Tick the Box” jumps over a quirky beat so she can keep moving intrusively while “Emmett Till” featuring Masta Ace returns to the boom bap to talk about the system being rigged in their favor. “Viral” featuring Obi Rundo gets back on the eerie trap tip dismantling the crowd who downplays their work ethics but once “Petty You, Petty Me” cohesively talks about the concept of pettiness itself, it only makes sense for “Yvonne’s Daughter” to finish the LP with an endearing tribute to her mother.

Inspired by Lauryn Hill’s only solo effort The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Truemendous’ own debut album under High Focus Records offers the underground at large a complete representation of who she is by capturing every dimension of her musically. The songwriting’s a lot more fiercely heavier than both of her earlier projects were with the production honing in on the eclectic crossovers between boom bap, neo-soul, jazz rap & trap that were heard over a year ago.

Score: 3.5/5

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 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

The 4 Owls – “Nocturnal Instinct” review

The 4 Owls are a boom bap quartet from London, England, United Kingdom consisting of BVA, Fliptrix, Leaf Dog & Verb T. Making their full-length debut Nature’s Greatest Mystery under High Focus Records during my freshman year of high school, their sophomore effort Natural Order came out a few months prior to my graduation & have since considered “Think Twice” to be the greatest single of their career. 5 years later, the group’s returning for their 4th studio album a month since the COVID-19 pandemic began globally.

“Sound the Alarm” featuring Smellington Piff begins with all 4 of them over a boom bap instrumental from Leaf Dog promising to behead everyone questioning their leadership whereas “Coming Home” find the Owls talking about dumping every & all toxic styles into the wasteland. Kool G Rap joins forces over a vocal sample during “Pioneer” to see who has the most intricate pen of the 5 just before “Be Free” carries forward talking about the whole idea of freedom.

The 2nd single “Honor Codes” ponders if one’s capable of making the right choices & making changes to their lives while “Life Lines” continues to let Leaf Dog’s ear for sampling shine dropping off 4 rapid-fire verses in the midst of it all. DJ Premier returns behind the boards for the 3rd & final single “100%” assured their story will be told like Atilla the Hun while “Air Strike” featuring R.A. the Rugged Man references Black Sabbath frontman & WWE Hall of Famer Ozzy Osbourne.

“Dark Days” featuring Roc Marciano continues the 2nd half with an organ-heavy boom bap beat ripping it hardcore for almost 5 minutes without the need of a hook & after “Let Go” confesses the Owls’ awareness of having things they need to stop holding onto like giving a fuck about whatever others nearby think of you over an orchestral flip, “Deadly Movements” featuring Masta Killa tells the story a man with a heart of gold becoming increasingly weaker as he gets older going from a once sharp & full mind that’s now clouded & diseased.

To start Nocturnal Instinct’s encore, the song “Lessons” blends kicks & snares with a guitar sample talking about studying the essence while “I Got You” speaks of the Owls trying to free themselves mentally whilst searching for another world & feeling something within the air once they’ve gone through the open portal over this boom bap instrumental radiating a mafioso atmosphere to it. Regarding the outro, we’re presented a soulful sequel to “All My Life” off Nature’s Greatest Mystery revisiting the predecessor’s themes nearly a decade earlier.

Yearning to elevate themselves further, The 4 Owls recruit a handful of East Coast veterans to accompany them behind the mic besides Smellington on the intro to further exemplify their status as the greatest boom bap group that the UK hip hop scene has to offer only a few months deep into this new decade. The production is a lot similar to Natural Order’s in that it’s almost entirely handled by Leaf Dog with the exception of Preemo doing a track & every single member pushing themselves lyrically farther than they did over the course of their last couple LPs.

Score: 4.5/5

Truemendous – “Huh?” review

Here we have the 5th EP from Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom emcee Truemendous. Introducing herself in 2015 off her debut EP Whoremonal Moodswings, she continued to build momentum with the trilogy P.S. This Is Your Mother Calling began & bridged by P.S. This is Your Father Calling. The final chapter P.S. This is Your Aunty Calling eventually caught the attention of High Focus Records, who signed Truemendous & looks to introduce herself as part of the roster in the form of Huh? a month after Gisele Shaw became the new RPW British Women’s Champion.

“That Don’t Mean” starts us off showcasing unique flows over a Pitch 92 beat speaking of being self-aware of an imminent breakup & that taking breaks is ok whereas “Meerkatz” takes the cloudy trap route instrumentally asking how one’s broke when they’re always at work. “O.T.Y.L. (Only Time You Love), Pt. 2” produced by Illinformed is a boom bap sequel to a 2016 loosie that greatly improves everything regarding the original version prior to “Sweetheart” talking about giving a fuck less regarding anyone else’s superstitions.

Continuing the final leg of Huh?, the song “Sumtymes” goes for a west coast vibe to the beat speaking of everything being too much yet she manages to cope with it prior to Telemachus getting behind the boards 1 last time during the woodwind-heavy “Out My Face” telling a group of people she dislikes to back away from her quickly as they can. “Hmmm” closes up shop with some synthesizers questioning those acting out of pocket behaviorally & not saying shit as often as she once did.

Preluding her forthcoming debut album The Misdiagnosis of Chyvonne Johnson, the High Focus Records debut of Truemendous confidently marks the finest example of the very same storytelling expertise or varied range & unrivalled flow that helped give her the honor of being the label’s First Lady in the midst of the whole entire world shutting stopping as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Production’s a big upgrade compared to her earlier stuff & she really saved her strongest performances for this special occasion.

Score: 4/5

Onoe Caponoe – “Invisible War” review

Here we have the 4th studio LP from London, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer Onoe Caponoe. Introducing himself in the early 2010s off his debut mixtape Central Control as well as Willows Midnight Gallery & Holy Mountain, it wasn’t until The Staircase to Nowhere caught the attention of High Focus Records & made his full-length debut for the label with Voices from Planet Cattele during my senior year of high school. Spells from the Cyclops would continue Onoe’s evolution & Surf or Die has become the most celebrated work of his yet, looking to fight an Invisible War succeeding it.

After the “Awakening” intro, the first song “Jungle” featuring L-Zee Roselli begins with the 2 over this dark 808-heavy beat & Caponoe having the more lively verse of them both in my opinion whereas “Starlight Lady” takes the boom bap route instrumentally to talk about the kind of woman who left his heart blazing on fire. “Wild in the Streets” goes for a Memphis vibe in general running laps around listeners with his flow just before “Ur Killing Me” shifts gears in the form of a primarily compositional piece.

“Ghost Castle” maintains a naturally killer chopper delivery & embracing a fittingly spookier atmosphere to the beat just before “Lamp of Lust” talks about being lustful kind of Genie hitting us with some of that good old fashioned funk in the midst of it. “Escape from Darkness” comes through with another instrumental bridge sonically reminiscent to 70s blaxploitation movies while the rage-inducing “Ghosts in Ma Alleyway” talks about not fucking with jokes because he has spirits inside in his head.

After the “Walking Thru the Forest” skit, “Breaking Out the Mist (Into the Light)” featuring Miles Dare pushes the 2nd half forward pairing the 2 over a flute-tinged boom bap beat confessing it’s like the world has both of them stressing lately while “Exorcist” also featuring Miles Dare after the self-produced “Battle of Self (I Love You Gurl)” intermission sticks together for a shift towards a Memphis-influenced direction homaging one of the greatest horror movies ever made.

“The Nothing” somberly asks where the time has gone demanding an answer for one of life’s biggest mysteries while “A Talking Cat” preceding the “Lost in Limbo” spoken word bit talks about painting his Mona Lisa with Surf or Die & constantly staying elevated artistically. “I’m Golden” radiates some rap rock undertones start to finish flexing his greatness, marking the last official song since both “The Message” & “Crying Cat” end in the form of a couple cohesively tied instrumental passages.

Ultimately I wouldn’t say that Invisible War has that same definitively complete feeling Surf or Die had, but I’m still happy this album exists because it’s another appreciable entry in the experimentally abstract Onoe Caponoe’s discography. The production is a menacing fusion of jazz rap, cloud rap, trap, hypnagogic pop & Memphis rap respectively opening a portal to an alternative universe where it feels like he’s taking lesser risks than he did on Surf or Die & in no way am I saying that’s a bad thing. It can be necessary.

Score: 3.5/5

CMPND – “Eagle Court” review

CMPND is a hip hop trio from Brighton, England, United Kingdom consisting of Kemastry, Wundrop & Vitamin G. All 3 of which are lyricists in their own right & Wundrop in particular being their in-house producer. Introducing themselves 6 months previously, the group has already been making enough waves to the point where the historic Hove, East Sussex underground imprint High Focus Records agreeably realizing they’d be a great for the label & signed them in time for their full-length studio debut album to arrive as the 4th quarter of the year begins.

The title track produced by none other than Wundrop talking about what it was like for them growing up in the very housing complex that made CMPND who they are whereas the 3rd & final single “E.W.A. (Eagles With Attitude)” gives middle fingers to the feds, including an awesome shoutout to Jeru the Damaja too. “Solid Air” has a more hypnotic trap vibe instrumentally talking about being more sinful than symbols just before “Whatuplayin@” acknowledges the word around the streets of their greatness.

“Illeagle Court” featuring Hutch shifts towards a cloudy boom bap direction to the beat cautioning that shit really goes down around their neck of the woods leading into “Home Runs” featuring Verbz marking the first of 2 appearances from the latter admitting that they still can’t find peace out in the streets. “U Know We Fly” talks about being crazier than Warner Bros.’ flagship franchise Looney Tunes while “Arjun Robben” ends the 1st half boasting to be the Ps who don’t do Qs.

Kicking off the 3rd quarter, “Dusty Ivory” returns to the boom bap confessing they shouldn’t rule the world because of the self-awareness of barely being responsible for their own actions while “Flight 370” dissects the Malaysia Airlines Flight in March of 2014 that infamously disappeared. “Instant Wins” gives off secondary influences of psychedelic music down to the slurred chorus talking about being ahead of the pack while “Paraphrase” featuring Verbz finds themselves keeping their heads above the hemisphere.

“Silence in Court” begins Eagle Court’s final leg explain explaining that we’re all corpses of our former selves in the grand scheme of things yearning for new lungs & company while “Purpatrait” talks about breaking rules despite not playing games. “Hindenburg” featuring Dirty Dike, Fliptrix, HERBiCiDE, Nuphzed & Stinkin’ Slumrok comes together for a 7 minute posse cut where Dike, the High Focus CEO himself & Slumrok shine the most while “Days to Daze” ends with an introspectively soulful outro.

Taking the title of CMPND’s inaugural LP after the blocks of flats all 3 members met & grew up together, these guys bring a whole new vision & aesthetic to the forefront devoid of outside distractions & influences only marking the beginning of a bright future under High Focus Records. Whether it be Wundrop’s production influenced by boom bap as well as grime & UK drill in addition to his critical social commentary or Vitamin G’s multi-syllables & Kemastry’s unpredictability, the new era of UK hip hop has already arrived.

Score: 4/5

Ronnie Bosh – “All People Expect” review

London, England, United Kingdom emcee Ronnie Bosh ready to embark on a new chapter of his career with a solo debut. An original member of the quintet Contact Play, he would go on to make multiple guest appearances for a multitude of projects over the course of the 2010s from Rag’n’Bone Man’s 3rd EP Put That Soul on Me to Dirty Dike’s 5th album Acrylic Snail as a more recent example. The latter of whom was announced to be fully producing All People Expect, which is welcoming considering the history they’ve had with one another for a decade.

“100%” opens up shop with this boom bap intro talking about him having no reasons to pretend when he’s got his swagger fully loaded whereas “Nothing” ruggedly speaks of dunces bluffing like it ain’t shit & the pigs using high breams to see more clearly. “Explain” featuring Jam Baxter takes a more soulful approach to the beat talking about monstrous flesh covered in rat’s skin just before the title track thematically shifts towards some conscious subject matter.

The 2nd & final single “You Know” goes for an old school vibe instrumentally talking about doing this shit so he can make jaws click instead of seeking praise from others while “Funghi” featuring Jam Baxter & Lee Scott sees the trio finding humor in the future, hence why they’ve been on this wave of spending a bunch of cash. “Get Out” combines elements of jazz rap & boom bap sending a message to the people who ain’t fucking with him prior to “1” showing a soulfully sensual side of himself.

“Do You Ever Think?” begins the album’s final act hooking up an organ flip asking this person with a shitty attitude if they’ve ever thought of the way they conduct themselves being the very reason Ronnie’s respect for them has slowly begun to deteriorate while the bluesy “Honorable Death” vividly tells the story of a man getting shot 21 times succumbing to his injuries. Contact Play reforms during the outro “Pulp”, hopefully planting the seeds for a reunion under High Focus Records when the time’s right.

Becoming a permanent behind the scenes fixture of the UK hip hop movement, fans have waited a long time for Ronnie Bosh to begin carving his own individual path artistically & High Focus ends that wait by letting his larger than life personality shine brighter than it has in the past. Dirty Dike offers amongst the greatest boom bap/jazz rap production he’s ever cooked up & one can certainly respect Ronnie’s attempts at testing out new things like singing or switching up his flows for 47 minutes instead of sticking to his bread & butter.

Score: 4/5

Datkid – “Confessions of a Crud Lord” review

Bristol, England, United Kingdom emcee Datkid officially making his debut for High Focus Records debut with the 4th studio LP in his discography. Beginning as a part of the Split Prophets, he began embarking on a solo career in the summer of 2011 off Dkay n Gramma & the subsequent sophomore effort called Home by 8 a little over 8 months later. Coming off Teeth Ledger however, Real Life Drama Records co-founder Leaf Dog of The 4 Owls being picked to fully produce Confessions of a Crud Lord had it shaping up to be the most important entry of Datkid’s individual catalog a week after Aussie Open became the new RPW British Tag Team Champions.

“Fire in My Belly” opens up with a boom bap intro talking about his opponents being worse actors than the entire cast of modern day EastEnderswhereas “Myth” marks the return of the all-time dirtiest continuing to make history 2 decades later. “Crud Addict” issues a warning that he’s the very last person one should be bringing drama to just before “The Chosen One” keeps things in the basement instrumentally talking about being prophetic.

To kick off the 2nd quarter, “I’m Nice” hooks up a grungy sample so he can talk about keeping his focus toward bringing his audience some crud for them to bump prior to “Briefcase” featuring Westside Gunn handcuffing suitcases to their wrists referencing 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, 4-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, 6-time WWE tag team champion & the newest writer/producer of their developmental NXT brand Shawn Michaels.

“Lord Give Me Patience” takes a moment to ask God to grant him perseverance & searching for a sign because he’s getting hungrier the more time goes faster while “Heroin” eerily promises that he can rap around his opposition on his tiptoes if he really wanted to. “Eyes” featuring Conway the Machine begins the 2nd half wanting to smoke weed & count money over a piano mixed with kicks & snares while “Money & Dip” dives deeper down the mafioso rabbit hole.

Roc Marciano joins Datkid for “Scheme On” talking about what their backup plan is if their music careers don’t pan out the way they hope it will & Marc explaining that people will go the way wind blows because they have no loyalty but once “Blank Page goes for an orchestral boom bap vibe wanting to bring life to his notebook by using his pen to write rhymes, “Grown Up” soulfully finds himself caught in the middle of Commissioner Gordons & 2-Faces from the Warner Bros. subsidiary DC Entertainment owned Batman franchise.

The song “Cook Book” nears Confessions of a Crud Lord’s final moments whippin’ some gourmet & coming out claim his stake while the penultimate track “Crud Lord” shifts towards a funky boom bap direction to the beat essentially breaking down his position as a boss of his own style that he calls “crud”. Taking up the last few minutes, “Hoes” wraps it all up by setting out to rule the money out of greed & have women surrounding him.

High Focus Records has been heralding Datkid’s inaugural opus under the Hove, East Sussex imprint to be the grimiest musical statement in the label’s entire discography almost a decade after it’s formation & I can’t even complain with that statement now that Confessions of a Crud Lord has arrived in full since the Split Prophets member’s greatest entry of his solo catalog comfortably fits up in the ranks of that discourse. Leaf Dog’s cooks up amongst the dirtiest production of his career & Bristol’s finest reminds the world why he’s amongst the UK’s most proficient lyricists.

Score: 4.5/5