Tag: Illinformed

Jack Jetson – “Winter Forever” review

Here we have the 7th studio LP from Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England, United Kingdom emcee Jack Jetson. Introducing himself in 2012 off his debut EP High 5 & subsequent debut album The Adventures of Johnny Strange under Real Life Drama Records, he would go on to follow these up with his 2nd EP Lo 5 preceding Eric the Red from the Creatures of Habit & NLP signing Jack to his own label Lost Scroll Records in addition to having his brother Illinformed produce Strange Cinema in it’s entirety. Fountainhead, the Sofiamaniac EP & Umbrellahead were all poorly received although the Qway EP was tolerable. Reuniting with Illinformed for Camogodskin & Kobayashi Porcelain through Illin’ for Meds Records to stronger feedback, he’s following up the Alien Rehabilitation Technology EP with Winter Forever.

The title track starts off sampling a set of violins sprinkling kicks & snares in the fold talking about being born inside the coldest season of the year whereas “Auditoriums” featuring Leaf Dog finds the 2 breaking down their terroristic tendencies when it comes to the pen. “Newton” soulfully talks about his lyrical precision & has a bar honoring the late Nipsey Hu$$le prior to “No Mistakes” featuring Datkid boasts that no one’s moving the way they are.

“Pray” chops up more crooning samples airing out the idiots who think he stays saying random shit in his music leading into “Static” featuring BVA joining forces so they can talk about being ready for war. “Outside” gives off a luxurious boom bap vibe advising that shit ain’t what it seems looking in from an external perspective just before “Reality” featuring Datkid & Leaf Dog finds the trio talking about putting a lot more time & energy in real world situations.

To begin Winter Forever’s final act, the song “Broke Brain” ruggedly boasts that he’s still blowing more smoke than an old train while the soulful “Thug’s Passion” featuring 1jack cinematically cautions of leaving any & all threats in a past tense. The orchestral boom bap crossover “Frozen North” featuring Luso addresses so called friends who wind up snitching to the feds when it was the ones they least suspected & “Nothing Weird” soulfully finishes by talking about apocalyptic visions in his terrordome.

If I had to name my top 3 albums in Jack Jetson’s discography, I’d frankly have to put Winter Forever it above Strange Cinema & The Adventures of Johnny Strange since it’s replay value slips in the same discussions as those earlier full-lengths on top of it being the greatest thing to come out Illin’ for Meds Records so far. From the sharp lyricism Jack’s spitting to Illinformed’s boom bap production, it feels like a huge elevation compared to Camogodskin as well as Kobayashi Porcelain & Alien Rehabilitation Technology.

Score: 4.5/5

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Fliptrix – “Dragonfly” review

Brighton, England, United Kingdom emcee Fliptrix teaming up with the Leigh Brothers consisting of Illinformed & Leaf Dog to have them produce his 11th solo LP. The founder of High Focus Records as well as a member of The 4 Owls, he made his debut in 2007 off Force Fed Imagery followed by Theory of Rhyme and later 3rd Eye of the Storm & The Road to the Interdimensional Piff Highway. Out the Box & Polyhymnia both came couple years later as did Patterns of Escapism & Inexhale, but is coming off Light Work & Mantra #9 to unleash the Dragonfly less than a couple weeks away from 白川未奈& Luke Jacobs becoming the new RPW British Women’s Champion & RPW British Heavyweight Champion respectively.

“Striving” starts by stripping the drums completely hooking up a bare orchestral loop forever making great efforts to achieve or obtain more whereas “Forever” has a bit of a soulful boom bap flare instrumentally talking about having springs in their steps representing that. The acoustic “Keep Going On” wants to know if they can continue to go on with their lives since they’re unsure of it, but then “Dragonfly Steeze” works the kicks & snares back in flexing his titular style.

Moving on from there, “See it in the Clouds” delivers a cloudier boom bap flare forecasting rain that’ll be coming down feeling it in his bones leading into “Make It Rain” hopping over a soul sample for a minute discussing the importance of rain itself. “Funky Microphone” blends a piano with kicks & snares getting hardcore lyrically just before the jazzy “Cosmic Scenes” assuring that the sweet sound of birds can be heard though sirens.

“Spooky Times” maintains the jazz influence crossing it over with boom bap to talk about how nice it is to let the beauty rise sometimes while “The Glow” keeps it raw so everyone listening is able to feel the sunshine. “Paradoxical” has a darker atmosphere to the beat coming to heal you while the flute-heavy “Making Waves” talks being on madness these days. “Grapevine” maintains the instrumental vibes from previously feeling happy & sad simultaneously while the title track jazzily ends the album showing unconditional love to his family.

A series of life-changing events compelled Fliptrix to hole up in the studio to capture the true essence of his recent experiences in real time, resulting in his most alive offering to date with the handbrake fully off as well as emotions & energies dialed up to 11. Each unpacking a tumultuous year which included the birth of his daughter & unexpected passing of his father who played in a 70s rock band that Dragonfly is named after, all this while navigating the ever-shifting music scene he has championed for so long.

Score: 4/5

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Mr. Key – “Kez” review

London, England, United Kingdom emcee Mr. Key enlisting local producer Illinformed to handle the beats all over the latter’s sophomore effort. A member of Contact Play, he would eventually sign to High Focus Records as a solo act & drop his solo debut Yesterday’s Futures in the summer of 2015 using the sounds of wonky & glitch hop with the help of Greenwood Sharps to back his abstract pen. Both of them reunited near the end of 2019 for an EP called Green & Gold, returning after nearly 5 whole years for the more conceptual Kez.

“Escape from Bene” sets the tone with a piano-driven boom bap instrumental advising to trust them since there’s more to discover going forward whereas “Wakey Wakey” featuring Smellington Piff finds the 2 over a funkier beat talking about them both being on a high platter killing swarm. “All Right Ok” takes a mellower yet dusty approach to the beat talking about him doing well since Green & Gold leading into “He Say She Say” featuring Dirty Dike after the “What’s this Place?” skit addressing detractors.

As for “John Connor High Lyf”, we have Mr. Key over this jazzy boom bap beat talking about his life not always being the best & him not having it any other way just before “Bury Me in Bene” featuring Leaf Dog carries over the same vibes of the previous cut asking for their wishes to be buried when the time of demise comes. “Why is It?” featuring BVA comes together to ask for the reason there cornballs haven’t done a charitable act while the piano-driven “I Dunno” uses it’s title to answer various questions for 5 minutes.

“No Time” starts Kez’s final moments blending a jazzy woodwind with some kicks & snares talking about himself for 2 & a half minutes living more pleasantly than he was in his previous situation but once “Yellow Tops” hooks up a prominent vibraphone to assure fans it isn’t their fault that he can be a bit of a dickhead, the outro “Isabell Allende” featuring Jam Baxter & Ronnie Bosh wraps things up with the Contact Play brethren soulfully repping their squads.

As much as I’ve enjoyed Greenwood Sharps’ contributions to Yesterday’s Futures and Green & Gold, hearing that Illinformed was handling all of Kez’s production gave me the impression it would surpass both of it’s predecessors. Lo & behold, Mr. Key has done it. He kaleidoscopically describes the rise of a plucky kestrel through an off-grid anarchist commune called Bene comprised of misfits, lost souls, drug dealers, new age healers & would be cult leaders after spending 5 years in Spain.

Score: 4/5

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Sean Peng – “Insomniac’s Dream” review

Here we have the sophomore effort from Bristol, England, United Kingdom emcee Sean Peng. Known for being 1/3 of the Creatures of Habit & 1/4 of NLP, he made his solo debut Crazed Conductor in 2016 under Lost Scroll Records & is coming off his Creatures brethren Illinformed fully producing his 2019 debut album Trips to the Medicine Cabinet succeeding the Controlled Experiment extended play preluding it in 2017 to run it back for a dissection of an Insomniac’s Dream through Illin’ for Meds Records.

“Inebriated Halfwits” featuring Jack Jetson starts with both of them over a jazzy boom bap talking about not seeing clearly regarding what they wanna do whereas “Stranger Than Fiction” stays in the basement instrumentally addressing the people who’re afraid to face the truth. “Broken English” takes a moment to represent the crowd of people who feel broken down leading into “Better the Devil” featuring Crossbow T marking my least favorite guest appearance despite the theme of Satan being a cloak within the mirrors & smoke.

Ramson Badbonez joins Sean on the jazzy “Sick Society” talking about people losing themselves all for a hit of notoriety just before “Hidden Messages” soulfully speaks of not stressing regarding the end because he’s already see the signs & symbols. “House of the Dead” spends 92 talking about being surrounded by zombies over more prominent kicks & snares while “Raw Syllabics” featuring O.A.B. soulfully compares their minds to timeless relics off psychedelics.

“Squid Games” featuring Jack Jetson references the popular Netflix series of the same name set to end after 2 more seasons in 2025 while “Rise of the Underground by the Creatures of Habit talks about underground hip hop becoming popular due to acts like Griselda being accepted by the mainstream for example. “The Abyss” brings a ghostly boom bap atmosphere to the table putting us inside the shoes of a person residing inside the pits & “Is This Real?” wraps things up asking himself if he’ll wait to leave behind the sadness in his life.

Almost 3 months after his Creatures of Habit partner-in-rhyme Eric the Red had made his Illin’ for Meds Records debut with his 4th album Painting da Town Red, it makes sense for Sean Peng to follow suit putting out a Trips to the Medicine Cabinet follow-up reaching the same bar it’s predecessor made still residing behind Caught Red Handed regarding Lost Scroll’s top 2 projects. Illinformed’s jazzy boom bap production feels unparalleled putting it against Sean’s last full-length, but it’s refreshing the latter moved on to newer concepts rather than still dissecting prescription drug abuse.

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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Smellington Piff – “Roma Supreme” review

This is the 3rd studio LP from Southwest England, United Kingdom emcee Smellington Piff, Introducing himself in 2013 off an eponymous debut EP under Real Life Drama Records, the NLP member would go on to follow this up a year later with the debut album Notice of Eviction produced by Leaf Dog & have both of the Leigh Brothers jumping behind the boards to produce his sophomore effort N.F.A. (No Fixed Abode) other than the intro. Commemorating almost a whole entire decade of becoming a solo artist, Illinformed has decided to fully produce Roma Supreme in its entirety.

After the ”Hippies” intro, the first song “Chase the Devil” begins with a piano-driven boom bap instrumental talking about those thinking he was done musically being sorely mistaken whereas “Who Got the Skunk?” swaps out the keys in favor of some strings so he can speak of his love for smoking weed. “Hard Times” takes a soulfully jazzier vibe talking about the world going against every turn he makes leading into “Around Here” featuring Runt Dawg depicting what happens when the sun goes down.

“Few Things” hands out middle fingers to a myriad of things whether it be the radio or the previous President of the United States over this quirky boom bap beat just before “Tooth for a Tooth” talks about how he can’t be kicked out of the scene because his foot’s in the middle of the door & puffing blunts so he can calm his nerves. “Class A” featuring Datkid finds the pair joining forces to boast the type of music they make while “The Alcohol’s Talking” featuring Bizarre links up for an ode to those who like to get their drink on.

Reaching the halfway point, the jazzily dusty “To the Left” talks about rolling up cheddar until it’s time for him to move on to better things & responding the crowd who wants the old Piff back while “Bailiffs” talks about his flow being more fluid than the blood pumping in our veins. “Information Overload” dismisses the need of him watching the news since everything around him’s been going to shite & confessing that he’s going mad while “Wolves” shouts out his real ones protecting his pack at all costs, leaving any opposition dead on the tracks.

“UFO” featuring the Creatures of Habit & Jack Jetson flips some strings to talk about feeling like aliens to everyone else around them while “Breathe” featuring The 4 Owls soulfully speaks of their love always outweighing hate in any situation. “Play My Part” featuring MysDiggi calls back to the OutKast single “Git Up, Git Out” featuring Goodie Mob. The outro “Poor Man’s Swag” finishes up by looking at the upsides of getting women even if one doesn’t have much money.

It’s completely understandable to have Illinformed handle all of Roma Supreme’s production considering that he did half of N.F.A. (No Fixed Abode) with his brother Leaf Dog after the latter fully produced Smellington Piff’s self-titled EP & Notice of Eviction, arguably surpassing all 3 of those projects to become his finest statement as a solo artist. Fans already know what they can expect from the quality boom bap instrumentation & Piff’s witty penmanship, but I furthermore note the respectable attempt at minimizing guest appearances.

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

BVA – “Lex Neville” review

Here is the sophomore effort from Glastonbury, Somerset, United Kingdom emcee & Real Life Drama Records co-founder BVA. A member of The 4 Owls as well as the Brothers of the Stone & the 3 Amigos, his solo debut B.V.A. (Be Very Aware) arrived in 2014 under High Focus Records roughly 3 years succeeding an eponymous debut extended play. Coming off Peep the EP produced by the Leigh Brothers a few years earlier, he & the latter duo are introducing the world to Lex Neville.

After the titular intro, the first song “Walk the Atlas” produced by Leaf Dog begins with a soulful boom bap opener talking over rappers to compensate for their wackness whereas “In the Grip” woke in an organ to caution that we’ve entered an age of ignorance. “End of Days” featuring Jack Jetson & King Kashmere talks about entering the apocalypse over an Illinformed instrumental prior to “Groundhog Day” featuring Datkid & Leaf Dog living life deliriously.

“No Model” continues by talking about the very person who used to always have his back becoming the reason he had to watch it himself & that he isn’t someone that others should be looking up to while “Bring Me Back” desires to be brought back from the place of no return. “The Oh Oh” featuring Leaf Dog reunites the pair so they can talk about smashing their competitors lyrically while the organ-heavy “Music Wot’s Real?” speaks of always keeping things legitimate.

Meanwhile on “Fear & Loathing”, we have BVA over a woodwind mixed with kicks & snares cautioning that he might piss in other’s potions while “Reach & Bong” featuring Leaf Dog finds the 2 talking about their love for smoking weed. “Rollin’” featuring Verb T comes together to stay holding it down goldenly while “Snake Eyes” featuring Leaf Dog & Smellington Piff links up so they can turn haters into weepers.

“Carving Tablets” begins to wrap up Lex Neville’s last leg going for a soulful boom bap direction instrumentally explaining that the only thing he’s ever given fuck about was making raw music while “Nothin’ Else” hooks up a harmonic gospel flip talking about there being no better feeling to him than this very moment. “Family” chops up a crooning sample sprinkling some kicks & snares in the mix to send off the LP suggesting haters to either suck a dick or to simply go home.

B.V.A. (Be Very Aware) remains a tight collection of tracks presenting BVA’s buoyant capability of holding down an entire project all by himself & the follow-up 7 years since makes big improvements over it’s predecessor. The Leigh Brothers’ boom bap production fully realizes the cohesive ideas in terms of sound Peep the EP had initially teased, hitting fans with more entertaining quotable accompanied by a consistent list of associated collaborators.

Score: 4/5

Sean Peng – “Trips to the Medicine Cabinet” review

This is the official full-length studio debut album from Bristol, England, United Kingdom emcee Sean Peng. Known for being 1/3 of the Creatures of Habit & 1/4 of NLP, he would go on to drop the Crazed Conductor beat tape in 2016 preceding the formation of Lost Scroll Records. Coming off the Controlled Experiment extended play preluding Trips to the Medicine Cabinet a couple years earlier, locking in with his Creatures brethren Illinformed to have him produce this next chapter of Sean’s career raising my expectations compared to both of his earlier output.

“Danka Sean” opens with a jazzy boom bap instrumental reliant towards a vibraphone sample introducing us to the titular character himself whereas “Elixir” swaps out the vibraphones in favor of pianos chippin’ off a sip of his own medicine. “Cryostasis” keeps the same aesthetics of the previous track in play undergoing the experimental process of freezing himself for later resuscitation just before “Continuum” by NLP reunites the quartet for a heavy hitting boom bap face-melter.

I felt the opera sample throughout “Bug House” stood out amongst my favorite beats on the album talking about his only interest being him fucking up your funds while “Dr. Doctor” hooks the vibraphones back up pleading for help in fear that the drugs are gonna overcome him. “Green God” by the Creatures of Habit featuring People Without Shoes stands out coasting over boom bap instrumentation naturally leading into “Bitter Sweet” featuring Life MC jazzily demonstrates the power of positive messaging.

“3rd Eye” moves on making it his mission to elevate his fans to another plateau spiritually with his music instead of being fed propaganda while “Full Moon” offers a depressive glimpse at his battle with mood swings. “Deranged Halfwits” jumps over more piano flips talking about the kind of people he’s been living with while “Humming” featuring Datkid ruggedly speaks of both of them living in a whole different dream of their own individually.

The song “Too Many Lines” begins Trips to the Medicine Cabinet’s final leg sampling soul music advising to make the most out of thing since there’s no turning back the clock while “Rotten Seeds” featuring Mothman & Scott Lark finds the trio laughing off the idea of haters not getting what they can’t have despite not having my favorite guest appearances. “Paradigm” wraps up the full-length officially in the form of 1 last boom bap track describing another day inside his own personal paradise.

Compared to the highlights both Crazed Conductor & Controlled Experiment had, Trips to the Medicine Cabinet lands right behind Eric the Red’s sophomore effort Caught Red Handed in being my 2nd favorite LP in the Lost Scroll Records canon. Illinformed’s jazzy boom bap production hits a lot harder than either one of those previous entries in Sean’s discography & the latter makes a cohesively told story themed around prescription drug abuse.

Score: 4/5

BVA – “Peep the EP” review

Glastonbury, Somerset, United Kingdom emcee & Real Life Drama Records co-founder BVA preluding his sophomore effort with his 2nd EP. A member of The 4 Owls as well as the Brothers of the Stone & the 3 Amigos, his solo debut B.V.A. (Be Very Aware) arrived in 2014 under High Focus Records roughly 3 years succeeding an eponymous debut extended play. However, the Leigh Brothers being enlisted to produce Peep the EP in it’s entirety caught my attention coming fresh off a Return to Stoney Island.

“Friends” produced by Leaf Dog kicks off the EP with a boom bap instrumental talking about it seeming like we’re going for broke sometimes & checking the notes as a result of that whereas “Brothers” blends some kicks, snares & grand sampling techniques to discuss making ducats with all of his homies. Illinformed jumps behind the boards on “Mary” beginning the 2nd half telling the story of an attractive woman whose appearance has become 50/50 over time while the soulfully jazzy “Chris” talks about not needing someone like the very character down for whatever.

We’ll we’ll just have to wait & see if BVA can surpass B.V.A. (Be Very Aware) in terms of a future LP from him down the pipe whenever that comes, but Peep the EP for only 4 tracks to me was more enjoyable than the 2011 self titled EP. Both of Leaf Dog & Illinformed’s portions of the boom bap production feel a lot stronger, with Leaf refraining from accompanying his Real Life Drama co-founder like he did for 3 songs right when the 2010s began & BVA getting more conceptual than he did with the last couple times he’s dropped material all by himself.

Score: 4/5