Tag: HPBLK

HPBLK – “Bis Kwi” review

London, England, United Kingdom emcee, producer, artist & animator HPBLK has returned for his 2nd solo extended play. Originally emerging under the moniker Gen Uchiha prior to forming the Old Children with King Kashmere & Booda French, he made his solo debut back in 2016 with F.Y.M.O. (For Your Mind Only) followed by the Energy & the sophomore effort Audio Arcade. Last time we heard from him was The All Natural Supernatural in 2021 excluding the compositional Pass the Pad that succeeded it, returning after 3 years to drop Bis Kwi without having any guest appearances.

“Ultra Instincts” opens with a lo-fi jazzy intro talking about people trying to shine when they’re the ones asking for a light whereas “Yagami” goes for a boom bap vibe instrumentally recalling an encounter he had with a woman who loved his profile. “Kane” pays tribute to the WWE Hall of Famer, former SMW Tag Team Champion, 3-time WWE world champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 12-time WWE tag team champion & WWE Hardcore Champion of the same name.

“Adult Swim” clarifies the reason behind the long gap between releases boiling down to personal reasons while “Amorphus” talks about getting the cream or becoming cash ruled. “Dark Souls” spends a minute & a half making people rethink their energy but after talking about having no “Shade” to waste over a lo-fi boom bap beat, “Retrograde & Motion” speaks down upon those who aren’t as fly as him. “#FFFFFF” dustily wraps up the EP talking about running amuck out in the streets with his squad.

Regardless of HPBLK admitting that he’s had hangups believing he was done with music & couldn’t be assed to care anymore, but Bis Kwi will satisfy anyone who hears the guest appearances he made for The Album to End All Alien Abductions & Alecs in Wonderland even if I’d prefer the significantly shorter Energy in comparison. He takes a backseat from the production side of things to tackle social issues accompanied by production fluctuating between boom bap, jazz rap & lo-fi hip hop.

Score: 3.5/5

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Old Children – “Push Start” review

The Old Children are a trio from London, England, United Kingdom consisting of emcees Booda French & HPBLK alongside producer King Kashmere. The latter of whom has become amongst the most recognizable names in the entire UK hip hop scene with a career spanning decades while the other 2 have emerged between 2015 & 2016 respectively. So to have The Iguana Man unite both of them & get behind the boards for the group’s debut extended play had me excited of what they were gonna do.

After the intro, “1Up” hops over a lo-fi boom bap beat refusing to celebrate wack rappers when they shouldn’t be whereas “Metron’s Chair” gives off an intergalactically dusty vibe instrumentally dismantling any competitor who isn’t on the same wave they are. “Abin Sur” reaches the midway point of the EP talking about this being do or die for both performers leading into “Louder” featuring Ramson Badbonez nostalgically kicks off the 2nd half on some old school shit.

“Long Road” winds down Push Start’s remaining minutes talking about over a beat reminiscent to the late, great J Dilla at points talking about finally making it to their own destinations after choosing to take the more difficult path while the final song “Double Dragon” preceding the outro makes a dope reference to WWE Hall of Famer, former 3-time WWE Champion, 11-time WWE tag team champion, the inaugural WWE Hardcore Champion, CWA World Tag Team Champion & TNA World Champion Mick Foley.

Regardless of whether or not the Old Children plan to continue making music together going forward, it doesn’t take away from the fact Push Start still gives the world a look at what these guys can accomplish when combining forces. Booda French & HPBLK give us some of the hungriest performances of their careers whether it be depicting out of this world imagery or making left field references & unpacking forward thinking streams of thought over King Kashmere’s cosmic production.

Score: 3.5/5