Axel Holy – “Got It Down” review

This is the 2nd extended play from Bristol, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer Axel Holy. Originally known under the moniker Baileys Brown producing for several local underground hip hop artists, he would eventually make his full-length solo debut in the spring of 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic with WonderWorld & went on to follow it up with his previous EP God Comflex produced by Jack Danz the following summer. However, he’s decided to enlist Micall Parknsun to solely produce Got It Down in it‘s entirety.

The title track opens up with a bloodcurdling boom bap beat talking about making his own rules whereas “Loop Digger” sonically brings a funkier vibe to the table discussing that he’s flipping more paper than origami these days. Kicking off the 2nd half, “Boomboomdahdah” instrumentally puts a cavernous spin on the traditional boom bap sound talking about him always winning & the outro “Talkin’ Landscape” finishes up on a cloudier note explaining he’s not around much since time’s money.

As someone who appreciates the contributions Micall Parknsun has made for both Low Life Records & his recent Boot Records output, I went into Got It Down expecting it to surpass God Comflex to become Axel Holy’s greatest solo EP as much as I liked the latter & am hopeful this will only be the beginning of what’s to come. Axel holds down the verses by himself compared to WonderWorld’s inclusion of guests & sounds great over Micall’s production varying between boom bap, cloud rap & funk.

Score: 4/5

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Micall Parknsun – “Back in Business” review

London, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer Micall Parknsun returning for his 2nd extended play. Making his debut under Low Life Records in 2005 describing life as The Working Class Dad, his debut mixtape The Interview would be his last offering for the label & signed to YNR Productions to release the sophomore effort 1st 2nd Time Around as well as Me, Myself & Akai. I Should’ve Done This Time Ago was ok, but his Boot Records debut Practicing Tag Team Moves at the beginning of 2017 was better & he’s looking to outdo himself now that he’s Back in Business.

The self-produced title track begins with some eerie organs melodies making it his mission to have everyone listening to him whereas “Reality” produced by DJ Jazz T & Dr. Zygote takes a grittier boom bap/rap rock route talking about being too inconsiderate. “Still Living Black” featuring Napoleon da Legend hooks up a prominent flute providing conscious lyricism regarding the system & once “Message in the Music” refuses to stomach fabricated bullshit over another woodwind instrumental, “Go Get It” ends the EP talking about getting yours over a vibraphone-inflicted beat.

Practicing Tag Team Moves was a solid introduction of what could happen for Micall Parknsun after signing to Boot Records, but Back in Business ends what’s been a tumultuous year for the entire world as a whole whopping up my favorite EP of the 2 he’s given us thus far 9 months since the COVID-19 pandemic began. He produces a good 60% of it by himself & has some of the UK hip hop scene’s most notable names to do the rest, bringing only 1 guest on board as opposed to a couple & making it count so he could handle the rest of the rhymes to himself.

Score: 4/5

C.O.N-Vers – “Way Too Patient” review

Croydon, South London, England, United Kingdom emcee C.O.N-Vers dropping his debut extended play on the 4th of July 2020 fully produced by local veteran Micall Parksnun. The latter of whom has been making himself known for decades from his early Low Life Records output to his more recent material under Boot Records & the other has been fresh off a lengthy sabbatical with a new purpose to create music in a different direction, enlisting Micall behind to the boards to explain the feeling that he’s been Way Too Patient.

“Dead & Buried” begins talking about taking his style that made him a staple in the UK underground hip hop scene for what it is over a heavenly raw beat whereas “As I See It” embraces a boom bap vibe instrumentally & spits nothing but lyrical heat for 3 minutes straight. “My Monologue” suggests he might pop things off sending 21 shots while “M.I.A” finishes the 1st half talking about knowing what you’re running from.

Kicking off the 2nd leg of Way Too Patient, “The Conversation” brings a symphonic boom bap atmosphere to the table warning to never interrupt him when he’s deep in the middle of a discussion leading into “Mad Ramblings” swaps out the orchestral elements in favor of a jangly guitar loop rapping an fascinatingly long verse start to finish. The title track finishes up with a 2-parter maintaining a boom bap sound the whole time including after the beat switch.

Notable for being 1/2 of Write 2 Speak as well as 1/3 of The Last Elect & a member of the D.S.o.t.M. collective respectively, C.O.N-Vers makes his long-awaited solo debut in a time of uncertainty & would say Way Too Patient does the finest job it could of encapsulating his growth since his early days in the garage scene. Micall Parknsun’s boom bap production greatly compliments C.O.N’s knack of thought provoking bars & smooth flows, holding off on having any guest verses accompanying him to give more room for his own.

Score: 4/5