Tag: Problem Child

Illaman – “Sometimes Relax” review

Here is the official full-length debut from London, England, United Kingdom emcee Illaman. Known for being the frontman of the rap rock/grime trio PENGUSHi & Problem Child, he eventually branched out on his own in the spring of 2019 off his debut EP Give Us a Smile. He eventually made his debut under Potent Funk Records with his next extended play Ugly Days & has teamed up with Dublin, Ireland beatsmith Pitch 92 in an attempt to make Sometimes Relax the greatest solo effort of the 3.

The title track begins by talking about giving ourselves a little trust in order to do anything we desire over a moody boom bap beat whereas “Get It” embraces a funkier approach instrumentally suggesting that everyone listening goes out to take what’s theirs. “Clouds” has a more cloudier trap vibe assuring there’s always time for growth to come just before “Absolutely Tidy” featuring PAV4N finds the 2 getting aggressively teaming up to get on some fuckery.

“Trust Me” has a more upbeat boom bap sound to it talking about doing your best in life even if things don’t always make sense & we ask what it all means leading into “Self Destruct” admitting that he’s at the point where he doesn’t even know what he’s doing anymore. “Time” has a cloudier boom bap flare to it cautioning that there’s no rest for the wicked & everyone urgently needs to wake the fuck up while “Never Ever” dustily talks about not having much.

Dabbla & Dubbledge both appear on “Gods” mixing some pianos with kicks & snares so they can speak of their status amongst magic beings by all means without the need of a hook but after “Couple Shells” incorporates what I’m pretty sure sounds like a gospel sample to talk about his ability of ending careers by burying any competition, “Like Me” spends a few minutes advising those listening to sort their lives out & the idea of fixing ourselves from our shortcomings.

Rounding out 3rd, the song “Healing” talks about how funny it can be when one loses their own mind & refusing to believe that time heals all wounds when I can confirm from my own personal experiences that it’s factual while “Winner’s Circle” explains his desire of getting shit poppin’ because it’s all he has. “Lightwork” wraps things up with 1 last boom bap joint dedicated to the people who aren’t feeling exactly the greatest & wants them to know their souls are beautiful.

Give Us a Smile was alright personally & I felt that Ugly Days made room for improvements, but Sometimes Relax wipes the floor compared to both of those early EPs since it exceeds what expectations were set based off both the singles making a statement regarding the trials & tribulations of seeking closure. Illaman’s lyrics are much more honest than what we’ve heard from him already & it’s refreshing to hear his off-kilter delivery being paired with Pitch 92’s signature production style reminiscent of Jaylib’s only album Champion Sound.

Score: 4/5

Dabbla – “Nobody” review

This is the 3rd studio LP from London, England, United Kingdom emcee Dabbla. Known for being 1/3 the Dead Players as well as 1/3 of LDZ & 1/4 of Problem Child, he eventually made his solo debut in 2016 off Year of the Monkey followed by the debut mixtape Chapsville under High Focus Records & the sophomore effort Death Moves respectively. Only a couple months after the world shut down entirely because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Potent Funk Records co-founder Sumgii’s being enlisted to produce Nobody.

The title track sets the tone of what’s to come advising one to save their expertise until it helps them blow up for the purpose of seeing who really supports him & doesn’t whereas “Out My Way” admits to being a little crossfaded over a boom bap instrumental. “Trenches” goes for a psychedelic direction getting real sick & tired of all the bullshit around him while ”Shimmy” hooks the kicks & snares back up to talk about the only thing we need to do is be ourselves.

“Rare” ends the 1st half of the album confesses of him hustling for the funds because of the rarity in it just before “Same” gets the 2nd leg going returning to the boom bap talking about how neither his address or his number have changed since becoming successful. “Enough” vividly describes a relationship falling apart in front of our very eyes & the woman being fed up with all the bullshit she’s dealt with for so long over an industrial beat while “Explain” talks about having this funny melting feeling inside his brain driving him nuts.

Nearing the conclusion of Nobody, the song “Lucky” discusses his gratitude of taking all the risks he had to in order for him to be in the position he’s at now in his career while “Formless”could have the quirkiest instrumental here talking about these shapeless artists having no capability of outdoing him because of the lack of cutting edge boundary-pushing talent. “Junk” spends the last 3 & a half minutes of the album

Death Moves was merely ok to me a couple years earlier, but Nobody could be the greatest thing that’s ever come out of Potent Funk Records delivering a full-length that I enjoy equally as much as if not more than Year of the Monkeyconsidering it captures the chemistry of the label’s founders in a way that sticks out differently than either of Problem Child’s projects shedding light on the lethal combination of Sumgii’s sonically varied & bass-driven production or Dabbla’s cutthroat syllables & dynamic flows.

Score: 4/5