Farma G – “How to Kill a Butterfly” review

Farma G is a 40 year old MC/producer from London, England, United Kingdom known for being a member of the Mud Family collective & 1/2 of the Task Force alongside his brother Chester P. He would go on to produce for several big names within the underground from Rome Streetz to Vinnie Paz & the latter’s Heavy Metal Kings cohort Ill Bill. However after signing to High Focus Records as a solo artist, he’s ready to show the world what he’s capable of doing on the mic & dropping a full-length solo debut a month after Michael Oku became a 2-time RPW British Heavyweight Champion.

“Cats & Dogs” begins with a cumbersome beat from Relense referring to the titular idiom used when it’s raining really hard just before “Bearskin Coats” shifts towards a boom bap direction so he can liken himself to a walking killer carrying a harpoon. The self-produced “Junkyard” sticks out to me as a favorite of mine from the overall mafioso vibe to the lyrics detailing the kind of business you can’t get out of once you’re in while “Say How You See It” speaks of calling things the way they are.

Moving on from there, “Classic Tech” instrumentally somewhat reminds me of Griselda’s late 2010s output talking about a bad moon rising & a new sun’s quest to take it’s 1st breath leading into “Here Come the Gods” works in a gritty piano flip to explain that he was born to rock clubs. “Peet” samples an organ so he can a couple minutes to remember his late father while “In Between the Lines” talks about how he feels trapped whenever he’s writing songs over a Cuth & DJ Jazz T beat.

“Found That Funny” laughs at rappers who only have money on their minds while “Angels” talks about hearing messengers of God speaking to him. “Me Oh My” dustily offers an easy listening experience for the drug dealers & their victims while “Goat Shit” featuring Jehst finds the 2 over a woodwind instrumental talking about ranking amongst the greats. “The Start & End” finishes up the LP by jumping over a drumless loop suggesting death runs the numbers until our time comes.

Hanging up the mic in 2013 following the completion of the Task Force’s 6th & final album Music from the Corner 5 so he could focus more on his production skills, How to Kill a Butterfly thematically connects itself to Farma G’s origins as part of the Mud Family duo he & his younger sibling formed 3 decades ago officially closing that chapter of his life & beginning anew. I understand him only producing a few cuts so he can let his pen shine, but I’d love to hopefully hear the guy fully produce a future sophomore effort all by himself now that his solo career’s begun.

Score: 3.5/5

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Chester P – “Love the World” review

Canonbury, London, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer Chester P celebrating his 45th birthday with his 2nd extended play. Known for being a member of the Mud Family collective & 1/2 of the Task Force alongside his older brother Farma G, he would also go on to drop the full-length solo debut From the Ashes in 2009 followed by the sophomore effort New Mic Order: Survive or Die Trying & the sequel. Coming off The Post Apocalyptic Storyteller & The Nameless Project however, I was interested in Chester’s return with Love the World after almost 2 years.

The self-produced title track talks about where Chester sees himself outside of society over an electric guitar instrumental whereas “The Apex” ruggedly dedicates itself to the breakers & breaknecks, “Standing in the Rain (People Dead)” shrugs off those pretending to know him but once “It’s Nothing New to Me” moves like the king of light, “Hunter Grymes” dustily talks about his heart being colder than ice. The flute-tinged “It’s Over Now” wraps up the EP observing the 2 sides of the coin paying the ferry.

As much as I like both installments of the New Mic Order series as well as The Post Apocalyptic Story Teller & The Nameless Project, I wouldn’t say any of them necessarily come close to reaching the same level of quality From the Ashes reaches although I do prefer Love the World more than Chester P’s previous EP The Post Apocalyptic Story Teller. He’s widely considered to be amongst the most influential artists across the entire UK hip hop scene & this if anything attests to his longevity.

Score: 4/5

Chester P – “The Nameless Project” review

This is the 4th studio LP from Canonbury, London, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer Chester P. A member of the Mud Family collective as well as 1/2 of the Task Force alongside his older brother Farma G, he would later go on to release the full-length solo debut From the Ashes in 2009 followed by the sophomore effort New Mic Order: Survive or Die Trying & the sequel. 8 months however have gone by since The Post Apocalyptic Storyteller extended play & now The Nameless Project has emerged.

“Fuck Your Future” has a quirky industrial hip hop vibe to it instrumentally talking about his home being a place where the eyes of the soldier are empty & soulless whereas “The Backdraft” uncannily discusses the harsh realities of society working until they grow old. “It’s a Lot” kicks it off the top for 72 seconds talking about having to step up his lyricism & after a skit, “Criminal Peeps” dedicates itself to all the hoodlums who like to cause mayhem in the streets.

As for “Charlie Sheen”, we have Chester over a sinister boom bap beat likening the cocaine to the infamous actor of the same name while “Tycho Brahe (The Man With the Golden Nose)” once again talks about crack retaining an industrial flare to the instrumental. “The Ballad of a Drunken Spaceman” packs a punch despite its brevity detailing our main character getting thrown in a basement for a minute & after the “LSD” skit, I’d consider “Dead Watch” to be a lot more of an interlude than an “intro”.

“The 5 Fingers” slows down his vocals talking about either dying or surviving as far as he’s concerned while “Warning Shot” gets anarchic over a futuristic boom bap beat. “Dead Canaries” comes through for a minute & a half cautioning spitfire towards anyone who gets caught in his way but once “Gas Mask Squad” treads the industrial hip hop/boom bap waters 1 last time advising to be weary coming to the dead watch, “1 Love from Camelot” sends off The Nameless Project penning an open letter to someone he knows behind bars.

One of the most prolific artists in the entire UK hip hop scene returning after 7 years with EP containing no samples tackling mature topics was a refreshing comeback for Chester P & he switches it up again with The Nameless Project in some capacities. I find the post-apocalyptic themes to be cohesively told regardless if some might’ve hoped for a feature or 2 & the secondary influences of industrial hip hop heard within the production certainly suit the concept when it’s needed.

Score: 3.5/5

Chester P – “The Post Apocalyptic Storyteller” review

Chester P is a 42 year old MC/producer from Canonbury, London, England, United Kingdom notable for being a member of the Mud Family collective as well as 1/2 of the Task Force alongside his older brother Farma G. He would later go on to release the full-length solo debut From the Ashes in 2009 followed by the sophomore effort New Mic Order: Survive or Die Trying & the sequel, coming off the latter so one of the most prolific artists throughout the entire UK underground hip hop scene can drop off an extended play of material.

“The Past” chops up a guitar sample talking about grey clouds blocking the sky everyone’s wishing their troubles away to whereas “Dark Omens” eerily discusses catching him roaming across the wastelands. “Melancholic Flowers” featuring DRS finds the pair getting introspective over drumless pianos & after “All About to Blow” issues a warning regarding the Earth being on the verge of exploding, “The Authorship” reaches the halfway point with one of the most creative tracks Chester has written.

Remus appears for “No-One Makes It Out Alive” talking about tomorrow never coming if one’s stuck on today & learning life lessons through pain while “Unknown Dangers” encourages those who’ve made it through the day to enjoy the evening since we don’t know what the future holds. “The Initiation Process” blends some acoustics & woodwinds talking about the hangman waiting for him by the tree until the closing track “Hands Up” finishes with a jab at phony rappers.

Delivering a standout feature towards the backend of Ocean Wisdom’s 2nd album Wizville several months earlier, Chester P whips up an EP following the longest gap between releases marking a change of pace for his discography. The production teetering drumless & boom bap was crafted without the use of sampling, providing an organic backdrop for Chester to take a more mature approach to his subject matter than his earlier output.

Score: 4/5