Wish Master – “Kings of Kemet” review

This is the 7th studio LP from St. Paul’s, Bristol, England, United Kingdom emcee Wish Master. Someone who’s dropped a total of 5 extended plays along with his last 6 full-lengths in nearly a decade including his Illinformed-produced 4th album Cold Harbour Tales, which was a bit of a disappointment because it had an excessive amount of features than I would’ve hoped. I was however interested in learning London veteran Micall Parknsun would be fully producing Kings of Kemet coming off the underwhelming reception of His Story merely 7 months earlier.

“No Humble Fashion” kicks things off with a boom bap intro talking about those hating from the sidelines simultaneously following the guidelines of this rap shit whereas “Break the Mould” featuring Axel Holy recaptures the chemistry of their 1st Nature collaborative effort. “180” featuring Gaza Glock & Krush soulfully yet dustily talks about all 3 of them coming from nothing but once “Survived” also featuring Krush applauds those fighting to live, “Stick & Move” ends the 1st leg claiming himself to be an underdog.

To get the 2nd act going, “Trap House” talks about being a boss who lets his employers keep the gold while “Who We Are” featuring Ray Vendetta finds the pair desiring to work overtime to achieve their desires of raising the bar even though they can only be their true selves. “What I Do” featuring King Kashmere aggressively teams up to talk about always having a plan while “Cradle to the Stage” speaks of forever moving forward. “Say Goodbye” appropriately wraps up Kings of Kemet on a soulful note talking about being the one they fear.

As someone who’s enjoyed his appearances on Datkid’s 6th album Wakmo or Illinformed’s full-length debut Illin’ for Meds, I knew Wish Master had the capability of making something that would really stand out amongst the rest of discography & Kings of Kemet makes up for being let down towards Cold Harbour Tales with what I can confidently call his finest collection of solo material. Micall Parknsun’s boom bap production goes harder than His Story’s & it’s refreshing to hear the O.R. Records founder by himself more even if it’s for only half of it.

Score: 4/5

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Micall Parknsun – “Still” review

This is the 7th studio LP from London, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer Micall Parknsun. 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 Recordsdebut Practicing Tag Team Moves at the beginning of 2017 was better. Coming off the superior Back in Business EP however, we’re getting a statement regarding him Still being here.

The self-produced “Same Difference” opens up with a drumless intro clocking at 2 & a half minutes talking about him continuing to try to make change whereas “Kept Going” has a jazzier vibe instrumentally expressing his refusal of hanging it up. The title track stylistically takes the boom bap route responding to people wanting to know if he’s lost a step leading into “Same Ol’” featuring Kyza Sayso & Skriblah bringing the trio together to talk about not changing.

“Sorry 4 the Wait” incorporates some buzzing synthesizers apologizing for how long it took him to make Still just before “From King to a Gawd” featuring Joker Starr comes through with my personal favorite guest appearance, stripping the drums again to talk about their own separate elevations over some horns. “Do Dat” kicks off the 2nd half speaking of simply doing his own thing while “The Harvest” featuring Naughtz hops over a funky loop dropping boastful lyricism.

As for “In & Out (Make It Count)”, we have Micall talking about the fact that people are either determined to chase success or they’re not while “Ever Since” opulently discusses his discography evidently testifying to his legacy in the UK hip hop scene. “Back” has a gullier approach stylistically talking about his return & the drumless closer “Own It” sends off the album defining dopeness, including a spoken word outro performed by his son Josiah.

Spending the last 3 years producing for local artists including Axel Holy & Juga-Naut to name a couple, Still has noticeably lesser guest appearances Micall Parknsun’s previous full-length The Magnum Opus produced by Giallo Point although it’s exciting to hear him producing a great majority of it. Some might even find themselves disappointed with the predominantly drumless sound, but it doesn’t bother me since his passionate performances additionally make it worth your time.

Score: 4/5

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Da Flyy Hooligan – “Ben Kingsley” review

This is the 4th studio LP from London, England, United Kingdom emcee Da Flyy Hooligan. Dropping the full-length debut Ray Winstone as well as the debut extended play F.Y.L.P.M. (Fucc Ya Life Praise Mine) & the sophomore effort S.C.U.M. (Supreme Cut Untouched Magnificence) in 2017 respectively, he would go on to follow it up with 3 more EPs including his previous full-length being a sequel to F.Y.L.P.M. (Fucc Ya Life Praise Mine). Coming off Flyyghost’s eponymous debut however, local veteran Micall Parknsun has been brought in to fully produce Ben Kingsley.

After the “Don Logan” intro, the opener “Da Nyycest” begins with a gritty boom bap instrumental boasting his lyrical proficiency whereas “Bar of Soap” continues to talk about his place in the game as a verbal architect. “Gourmet Trap” gives off a drumlessly soulful vibe to discuss making money & watching it grow prior to “Ian McShane” telling those who wanna be like him to keep dreaming over some synthesizers mixed with kicks & snares.

“M.C.K. (My Cousin’s Keeper)” featuring Hooliyo Iglaciers finds both cousins trading the microphone back-&-forth over a piano-driven boom bap beat while “Model 500” symphonically talks about people not seeing him since he’s amongst the greats. “Pile Driver” co-produced by Beat Butcha references the maneuver innovated by the late 3-time NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion Wild Bill Longson prior to Dom Pachino appearing for the 3rd & final installment of the “Wu Baby” trilogy.

The track “Tape Decc” rawly talks about pouring champagne in celebration of WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson returning over a boom bap instrumental reminiscent to some of Griselda’s output & the final song “Royal Oak” preceding the “Jacky Tig Bitts” outro concludes the final moments of this 2nd installment in the Ray Winstone saga recalling the time he spent wasted away wishing death on others & seeing right through bullshit instantly.

Considering that Micall Parknsun produced nearly half of Ray Winstone, I was completely on board with the idea of him solely handling the production throughout it’s successor Ben Kingsley & we get an album that displays Da Flyy Hooligan’s evolution as a storyteller over prominent boom bap production giving his flowers to one of his all-time favorite actors hailing from Snainton who played the titular role in the 1982 biopic Gandhi.

Score: 4/5

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

Juga-Naut – “12 Bricks” review

This is the 5th studio LP from Nottingham, East Midlands, England, United Kingdom emcee Juga-Naut. Dropping all 4 of his previous full-lengths including a mixtape & 3 extended plays, the ones that would stick out to me the most would be the Sonnyjim-produced debut The Purple Door & his 3rd album Back to the Grill Again produced by Giallo Point. London veteran Micall Parknsun however has been enlisted behind the boards for 12 Bricks after being teased in 2017 & that automatically had me interested regarding the direction for it.

“Blue Notes” opens up with a psychedelic boom bap instrumental talking about him dreaming of a better future ahead of him whereas “40 Acres” featuring Micall Parknsun himself finds the pair over a synth-driven beat boasting that they made the speakers bump because they made the drum. “Show & Prove” keeps things dusty decimating any other squad who can’t fuck with his because they’re a bunch of phonies just before “Gametime” atmospherically talks about taking time when getting what’s his.

VVV get a track of their own with “Gaudi-Gang” having Cappo & Vandal Savage join Juga-Naut to discuss elevation & progress being the 2 key parts of this journey called life while “Know Your Worth” talks about realizing one’s value. “Dodgy Dealings” kicks off the 2nd half of 12 Bricks recalling some dishonest business methods being revealed over an organ & hi-hats while “Build a Bridge” returns to the boom bap explaining what we do today makes it what it is.

“Pink & Red” winds down the last leg of the album talking about slowly dreaming of big money coming his way until using “Stained Glass” as a metaphor for the other side containing a pained past instrumentally retaining a boom bap sound. “The Juice” featuring Scorzayzee & Tommy Nova finds the trio getting confrontational over a rap rock beat while “Glass Mortar” featuring Da Flyy Hooligan ends on an opulently hardcore note.

Come to find out 12 Bricks was recorded between 2016-2018, which is wild to me considering that it joins The Purple Door & Back to the Grill Again in becoming an another important entry in Juga-Naut’s discography. Between his rhymes & Micall Parknsun’s production, they’re pretty much laying out the foundation for this new era of underground hip hop in a time of uncertainty combining Naut’s hard-hitting lyricism with Micall’s ear for sampling.

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

Joker Starr – “G.A.W.D. (God And Wisdom Driven)” review

This is the 4th studio LP from Slough, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer Joker Starr. Dropping his debut mixtape Raw Spittage in 2011, he would go on to follow it up with all 3 of his previous full-lengths as well as 3 extended plays & a beat tape. London veteran Micall Parknsun being brought in to produce a vast majority of G.A.W.D. (God And Wisdom Driven) though had me intrigued regarding whether or not it could become Joker Starr’s most crucial statement yet as someone who appreciates Micall’s dexterity.

After the “Facing the Lion” intro, “There’s No God” combines some drums & a vocal sample to talk about certain people not seeing progress because they’re not ready for it including a jab at 2 Chainz whereas “Pay Cuts” after the “Tom & Jerry” skit works in some chimes responding to politicians thinking the people aren’t keeping score. “Gawd’s Black” featuring Micall Parknsun & OphQi later finds the trio teaming up so they can talk about black excellence

“Lawful Killing (Mark Duggan)” featuring Anyway tha God links up for a powerful collaboration remembering the man who was shot dead by police in 2011 over a boom bap instrumental just before Micall Parknsun hops on the mic again so he & Joker Starr can tell everyone to “Move Back Out the Way” over a weepy beat. “Pam Grier” featuring OphQi reunites the pair goes for a jazzier vibe talking about women who aren’t basic leading into the “Polygamy” skit.

Sarai Jazz appears for the soulful “Soul Tied” describing 2 romantic partners bound by their love for each other & after the “Limba Power” skit, “Idi Amin” embraces a jazzier sound talking about laying muhfuckas down. “Papal Bull” spends nearly a couple minutes revisiting the pro-black themes from earlier & the final song “Farrakhan” featuring Micall Parknsun preceding the “Bundo Devil” outro talks about bringing the essence back in the right direction.

Blood-Ren still contains some of the greatest songs Joker Starr has recorded, but G.A.W.D. (God And Wisdom Driven) marks a significant improvement above the likes of the Northborough Estate Project or MACKnificent in achieving what I had hoped to become the finest album of his career. Although he’s always had energy & personality, Micall Parknsun’s production matched with the brief list of guests each hone in on both of those characteristics to captivating results.

Score: 4/5

Anyway tha God – “Over P’s” review

Slough, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer Anyway tha God enlisting London veteran Micall Parknsun to produce his first extended play of solo material in its entirety. Releasing the debut mixtape As I Was Sayin’… in the fall of 2012, he would become distinct for his multicultural perspective on the UK hip hop scene incorporating Caribbean influences representing his heritage. Returning after 6 years however, Over P’s was conceived in the middle of the trials & tribulations he was going through.

“I’m More!” starts us off with a boom bap beat radiating a religious aura talking about his worth whereas “Leave Me Be…” has a more luscious vibe whilst restraining the dustiness, speaking of having no time for stupidity. The title track featuring Dani Bliss & Joker Starr finds the trio on top of a nocturnal boom bap instrumental overcoming all obstacles but after a proclamation of protecting “The Children”, we have Micall Parknsun & Moralistik discussing appreciation for “The Present”.

Encouraging better environments presently for tomorrow as a father along with encouraging the goodhearted and inspiring/encouraging the leader within ourselves, Anyway tha God makes a confident return by getting significantly personal than he did compared to As I Was Sayin’… since it’s a testament regarding why he makes music. Micall Parknsun’s production’s less rawer than Anyway’s early mixtape although it retains the traditional boom bap sound & the guests all help spread the word of self value/worth.

Score: 4/5